To Defeat a Dark Lord
by vbollman
Summary: Harry and Snape are both in trouble. with help from the Malfoys, and a new ally, they set out to defeat a Dark Lord may turn into slash THANKS TO SANDRA AND KEI FOR BEING MY BETA'S
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. Not mine. I just like to play.

Thanks to Sandra and Vegeta's Mate for doing a wonderful job as beta's.

**Chapter One**

Coal black eyes stared out from behind a fringe of greasy, unwashed hair. Taking in the surrounding room that was his curraent 'home'. All the muscles in his body trembled with the strain of holding his weight, knowing that if he let his legs collapse that his arms which were stretched out above his head, would more then likely end up pulled from the rest of his body. The manacles around his wrists tore at his skin causing blood to creep down his arms, following the trail of dried blood from the previous time his wounds had cracked and blead. His cell wasn't very large, it was adorned with only a single window set high in the opposite wall, which didn't let in much light or fresh air, leaving the room dark and suffocating. The sound of footsteps crossing the room above him made his aching muscles tense even more. A tingle of dread made it's way down his spine as the heavy wooden door opened. The only reason that that door opened was when his former master and his followers wanted to play.

"So my pet. Are you ready to tell me what made you believe that you could cross me and live." came a hiss from the doorway

"Screw you." He forced himself to rasp at the dark figure.

"Ah no, I think you are the one that is screwed. And there is no one that can save you from what you so richly deserve."

The creature who called himself 'The Dark Lord' gave a cold and heartless laugh. Knowing what would come next, the bound man could do nothing more then pray that this time, just like all the other painful times before, he would not break and let lose the information that this sadistic bastard needed to take the life of the 'Boy Who Lived'.

"CRUCIO".

All was silent at number 4 Privet Drive until a shrill scream shattered the early morning stillness. The screams, short lived as they were, were those of a 16 year old boy. The boy's bedroom door burst open to reveal the boy's uncle who gripped a handful of the boy's unruly raven hair moments before the boy retched violently on the floor.

"I don't know what is bloody well wrong with you, you little freak, but this will stop. This will be the last time that you will wake any of us up with your screams, do you understand me, boy." Vernon Dursley dragged his nephew down the stairs, not caring if he hurt the boy. Stopping beside the small door that opened up into a little cupboard under the stairs, he forcefully thew the teen inside. Slamming the door and locking it, he snarled at the still form, "You will not be allowed out for anything. No food or water until these freakish screaming fits stop completely!) You will also not be allowed food or water, until you can prove that this freakish behavior of yours will not be repeated." Grumbling under his breath about being woken up from his sleep for the sixth night in a row, Vernon made his way back upstairs to his bed and his disturbed sleep.

The teen laid still until he was sure that his uncle had gone back to bed, before trying to shift his body into a more comfortable position. He had heard a bone or two break when he hit the ground and the lower stair, and hoped that the damage was not to bad. As he tried to move his shoulder, shooting pain lanced its way through his body and, as his world went black, all he could think of was that he wished that he was far, far away.

High in a tower of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, an old man sat. Eyes that normally sparkled like twin suns of blue flame, with the joy of life were now dull with worry. Two weeks before the end of the school year, Severus Snape was called away to a meeting with Voldemort, and never returned to the school. That had been three weeks ago. He was hoping against all hope that his son, in all but blood, was on a mission for the self proclaimed dark lord, but deep in his heart he knew that his hopes were in vain. Albus Dumbledore, felt that if Severus was not dead already then he soon would be. All that was left was to pray that if the man was broken, he would still be able to keep any information on the whereabouts of Harry Potter locked within himself.

Which brought him to his honorary grandson.; Harry Potter. He knew that the teen had made it home. Although much later then usual, and that he had not left his aunts house since he walked through the door at number 4 Privet Drive, but nothing had been heard from him since. Harry was supposed to have owled The Order of the Phoenix every day to make sure everything was okay, and if he had any visions to send an owl immediately to the headmaster to give them any information that he could.

Albus was seriously concerned that he had not heard from the teen. Harry had not wanted to go back to his aunt and uncle's, but in order for the blood protection to work he needed to spend sometime within the house that his aunt called home. The headmaster knew that the boy was still alive, because the words protecting the house were still intact, but wither or not the boy was safe was a different story. From what he had heard from both Severus and Harry's friend, the boys home life was far from easy, but he just could not believe that his muggle family could treat the boy with such disregard. Finally deciding to take matters in hand, the headmaster took a pinch of floo powder from it's jar above the fireplace and called for from the most unlikely person to help him find those he loved.

Gidean Welsh sat motionlessly amongst a clump of bushes, watching as the death eaters apparated away. He did his best to contain the growls of anger as he caught the smell of his cousins blood on many of them; telling himself over and over again that there would be time for revenge later. Right now he had to concentrate on getting both himself and his cousin out of the manor house alive.

After what seemed like an eternatity the place finally looked deserted. Sending out all of his senses, Gidean tried to find out how many more people were in the house. Finding very few, Gidean stalked silently from his hiding place and moved around the building trying to find a somewhat safe way inside. Finally coming across a broken window he carefully used his power to smooth out the jagged edges of the glass, and lowered himself into the house.

Once inside he followed the smell of blood as he made his way to the heavy oak door across the room which had been left slightly ajar. He silently opened the door a bit more to make room for his body to slip out and down the stairs. The sight that reached his eyes when he made it to the bottom, almost shattered what little self control that remained intact to control his temper. Taking to the shadows, he silently moved to the darkest corner of the room, knowing that if he showed himself right away it was the end of both of their lives.

Gidean was finding it harder and harder to keep his anger from getting away from himself, as he watched what was happening to the helpless man. It looked like each of the death eaters present had drawn numbers to see when they would get their turn of 'playing' with him. And as each of them finished doing whatever they wished, they left. After hours of watching the torture finally only two men were left. They had been given orders by the Dark Lord to take care of the man who was left more dead then alive, before he himself left.

Knowing that now he would have a better chance of taking down the two that remained and still walk (or limp) away with his cousin, he decided to take the chance and started to move away from his dark corner. Before he could take three steps though, both of the remaining figures removed the masks that they wore throughout the whole night, revealing near identical blond heads. The only real diffrence between the two other then age, was their facial expressions. The older one still maintained his emotionless facade. But the younger one made no effort to hide the tears that flowed down his face.

Draco Malfoy rushed over to the broken man laying on the cold stone floor of the holding cell, unable to hide his whimpers of distress at not being able to help the man that he considered his uncle. He gently turned the man over unto his back and lifted him up slightly in order to slide his own body under him, hoping that it would ease some of the pressure on his godfather's lungs as he tried to breath.

Lucius Malfoy watched as his son did his best to elivate Severus's discomfort. Instead of going over to help he turned his body to stare into the darkest corner of the room. Holding himself ready just in case he was indeed wrong he called softly out into the supposdily empty corner. "Gidean. Please, if you can help him do so."

Being prepared for a magical attack and being prepared for a physical attack are two diffrent things. He did not notice the fist that came almost out of nowhere that connected to his chin. "You bastard. Why didn't you help him sooner. And don't give me that crap about not being able to do anything. I taught you and Severus together the hand signals for silent fighting. All it would have taken was a simple hand movement to let me know that it was you, and we could have taken them all and saved him from most of this." Gidean voice was cracking with anguish as he stared at the man who he once thought of as Severus's brother.

Lucius waiting calmly for the emotional outburst to be over. From the corner of his eye he watched as his son pulled his wand and prepared to take on this unknown threat to protect both his father and Godfather. Raising his hand to forstall any foolish behaviour from his son, he once more turned towards the fury in the violet hued eyes of the man before him. "I did not notice that you where here until almost everyone had left. And the very first lesson that you taught us, was to make sure you can succeed before you actually make your move. I for one, could not see a clear victory for everyone to escape, so I stayed and did my part. Now if you are done, could we please take him and get out of this hell hole. I really don't want to be here when the Dark Lord finds out that we didn't kill him like we had been ordered to." With that Lucius turned and made his way to Severus's side. Sinking gracefully to his knees he took over the burden of holding the heavier man from his son. "I do hope Gidean, that you have a way out of here. He reallly cannot stand to walk out, and we cannot carry him for fear of being discovered by the idiots upstairs."

Nodding a quick apology towards the elder of the two blondes Gidean pulled a few vials of potion out of his robes and helped Severus drink them down. When he was sure all that could be done had been done. He pulled from a side pouch a length of robe, and after instrucing everyone to hold on, Gidean activated the portkey and tightend his hold on the rope as the familer tug at his middle let him know that the first part of his mission had been complete. Severus was now out of the hands of the Dark Lord. The biggest problem that he could see was to make sure that Severus survived to see the sun come up.

The portkey brought all four men to a dismal looking shack in the middle of nowhere. Lucius looked around and nodded his head when he noticed that the place was secure. Draco on the other hand sneered as he took in the fithy building in front of him. Receiving a sharp look from his father, he kept his opinions to himself and followed the older men through the front door. Glancing around in amazment he could not reconcile the fact that the clean and roomy entranceway was indeed the same house that he saw from the outside. Casting a puzzled look at his father he continued to keep his mouth shut as the strange wizard carried his godfather further into the house and up the stairs.

Laying Severus on the bed in the master bedroom, Gidean made his way to the fireplace and took a pinch of floo powder into the brigthly burning flames. When the flames turned a brillent shade of green he called out for Madam Pomfrey and stuck his head into the flames. Minutes later he pulled his head back out and walked back to the bed. Sighing, he took in the still figure of his cousin and summuned a bowl of warm water and a clean cloth. Stripping the battered wizard of the rags covering his body, he carefully started to clean off some of the blood and dirt that covered his whole body. An hour and four bowls of water later, Gidean had most of the filth off, and was waiting on the medi-witch to make her apperance


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Sandra for being a great beta.

Disclaimer. nope don't own them.

Chapter Two

In the many years Severus had been a spy, one of the most important lessons he learned was the art of being awake and aware without giving any outward sign of being so. The ex-spy made good use of those skills now.

The first thing that he noticed was the lack of pain and cold. He should have been a mass of pain riddled nerve endings, laying on a cold stone floor. Instead, he found himself wrapped in warmth and without any physical pain.

As each of his senses made themselves known, the Potions Master tried to figure out what was missing and, when he finally made the connection as to what was missing, his eyes snapped open as he stared in shock at the ceiling. "Oh Harry, what have I done?"

hpsshpsshpsshpsshpss 

Severus Snape sat across from Albus Dumbledore, two weeks from the day that he had first been rescued, and watched his cousin pace. Knowing that Gidean would tell them in his own time what exactly was bothering him, he turned his attention to the two Malfoy men sitting on the couch directly across from the fireplace. He was wondering what exactly they were up to, knowing that they would never change sides in the war without sufficient proof that they were truly on the wrong side of the line. He also noticed that Albus did not hold the same level of distrust for the two blonde's that he himself held, when in fact the Headmaster should have trusted them less. His wandering mind was firmly brought back to the matter at hand when he heard his cousin moan with suppressed frustration. He's next words almost had him hexing the man with a silencing charm before he could say anything that could not be used against them if his theory about the blonde's proved to be correct.

"Albus what are we going to do. I can feel him get weaker each and every hour." Moaned Gidean.

"My dear boy. If you would tell me who you are talking about, I would do everything in my power to help you. So far the only things that I know for sure is that you are holding a blood protection over some one, and that they are slowly losing the will to live, do to injury and blood loss." Albus replied. Conjuring a new tea tray along with some sandwiches, he added, "maybe if you sat down and had a cup of tea, and told us what is happening, from the beginning, this will make more sense to all of us."

Gidean nodded his head, and conjured up another chair in front of the fire. Accepting the cup of tea, which was handed to him from Severus, he took a few calming swallows before he begin his tail.

"I'm only going to give you a brief outline of what has been happening, it should be enough to answer most of your questions. The rest of which will have to wait until I find the boy again." Taking a few deep breaths, Gidean's eyes took on a far away look as he tried to bring his thoughts together. "About 10 years ago I came upon a young boy, who, at the time, looked to be no more then about six years old. He was crying, and in pain. It looked like someone had used the poor child as a punching bag. I stopped and after telling him that I would not hurt him, I proceeded to heal him of some of the worst of his injuries. After I was done, I gave the boy a small vial that I always keep with me for emergencies.

At this point Severus stopped Gidean from continuing. "Are you a fool Gidean." he growled at his cousin, "you can't mean that you gave the child your blood. That, in all ways, breaks the trust wizards have with the clan."

"Calm down Sev. I didn't give him much. Just enough for me to keep track of him and only half of what we would normally use on a child his age. After he took a sip of my blood, and I tasted his, I realized the awesome amount of potential in him. I took a little bit more of his blood, just to make sure that I could find him again, oblivated his mind with a mild charm, and sent him home. Over the next few years I always made my way back to check on him. He was overworked, often starved, and beaten, but never enough for me to heal him again. I always made sure that I left something out for him to find and eat, and always made sure that there was few drops of my blood in with the food to keep the blood protection in place. On his 11th birthday I was going to ask him if he wanted the full blood protection, and the training he would need, but Hogwarts got hold of him first. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to go to him while he was there, the pain he was in was enough to make me scream sometimes, the only thing that stopped me was the ability to sense his thoughts even at a distance, and the one thing that always played through his mind was his thought on one of his teachers. After that I never did renew the protection. Now I know that that was stupid. I should have continued with the mild protection. I can feel him, but I can't find him. I've even made my way through the house once, and I found no trace of him. Not even a magical signature to let me know what was going on. It was like he was hiding his whole being behind a wall that I couldn't break through."

Gidean took a deep breath as his cousin glared at him from the chair. "Did you at least get the boys name before you did what I believe to be the stupidest thing you could have ever done." The Potions Master sneered.

"Harry Potter."

Albus looked at him in shocked amazement for a moment, and then the twinkle in his eyes lit up full force once again. Turning to Severus he gave a small smile and said, "Well my boy, it seems your not the only one who likes to protect young Harry."

"Indeed. Gidean, can you tell me when the boy lost the will to live?"

"I felt the change in his mind set the day after we brought you here. His pain levels seemed to have increased at the same time." Gidean replied.

"I was afraid of that." Severus turned to the headmaster with a grim look on his face. "He lost the will to live when he didn't receive any more visions of the Dark Lord torturing me. It is my believe that he thinks that I am dead."

For the first time since the meeting started, Lucius Malfoy made his voice known. "Would someone like to explain this. How can that child be having visions about the Dark lord. And why do you think he would lose the will to live if something happened to you!" He sneered at Severus.

Severus looked to Gidean and, to everyone else in the room, a staring contest was being held. But to Severus and Gidean a totally different thing was happening.

/Do you trust them Gidean/

/In this I do. You didn't see them after snakeface left you the last time. Even Lucius almost broke down./

/As you wish./

Finally Severus broke eye contact and turned back to the blonde. "Right after the first dementor attack in his third year, I cast a magical bond between us. It was to let me know when he was in danger, and feeling a lot of pain. He feels it each and every time Riddle tortures someone. When It was found out that I was a spy, I broke the connection, the only way he knew that I was alive was because of the visions. When they stopped, he must have believed me dead. He would not have seen you take me to safety, for he only sees what the Dark Lord sees."

Draco sat looking at his godfather with serious eyes. "Is there a way for you to reconnect the bond?"

"Only if I am physically touching him and he again agrees to the bond. I'm not sure he will agree with it a second time since I did not have his agreement to break the bond. And I can pretty much guarantee that he will not be happy with me for breaking the promise that went with the bond, when he finds out that I'm still alive "

Gidean looked at his cousin in shock. "Does he have a valid reason for not wanting to reestablish the bond." He asked in concern.

"Unfortunately yes. At first he didn't know about the bond. We figured it was better and easier for him to not know. After Riddle's return, while he was laying in the hospital wing, I made the bond stronger in order to monitor his mental state. At the time we really didn't know about his visions and what exactly they would be about. I managed to keep him sane for the summer after witnessing both Riddle's return and the death of a friend. It wasn't until we started Occlmancy that he noticed the bond. After blowing up at both Albus and myself, and almost destroying both of our rooms, he demanded a pass for the Golden Trio to have unlimited access to the restricted section of the library. Two weeks later he came back to me. Hermione helped him find a bond that allowed each person to sense the other. It allowed high levels of pain through to alert the other if help was needed, along with high emotions. He told me that if the bond needed to be in place then it would be a mutual bond. He knew I was a spy, and figured if we were both going to be at the whims of that mad man, then I would be protected also. It was the only way that he would allow the bond to remain. I had no choice but to agree with him. After the spell was completed it was like having a ball of warm energy in the back of our minds. What I didn't know at the time was that the boy could have been in my own house. He left out some information. The bond in cases of extreme need would allow us to talk to each other. I found that out at the ministry when his godfather went through the veil. I was already working at the time to find a way to break the bound if needed. I could not allow that information to fall into the Dark Lords hands. That little clue was all I needed to find the name of the bond that he used. When Riddle started breaking through my mental shields, I broke the bond. I have not been in contact with him since."

Severus stopped and took a deep breath, as he looked up at the rest of the people in the room. The shock on their faces was almost enough to send him into laughter. But the very real remorse he was feeling made any kind of laughter want to make him cry.

Albus was the first to break the silence. "My boy, why didn't you tell me of this bond. All you said was that he had agreed to have the bond in place."

Black eyes met blue, and the sneer on the Potion Master's face would have sent any of his students running for cover, and most of the teachers also. "Because it was his choice. It was one of the only choices that he was allowed to have made. Just like it was my choice to accept this bond. If I would have said no, he would have found a different one, and would have kept looking, because it was a choice he needed to make in order to survive. All the other important decisions in his life, others have made for him without his knowledge or consent. I would not have been able to do that to him again, and still maintain the amount of trust that I do with him. It was also up to him if he didn't want the bond. I would have respected that also, and would have done everything in my power to help him train. And with all due respect, headmaster, it was none of your business." Came the cold voice of The Potions Master.

Before Albus could argue the fact further, Gidean felt a cold finger of dread curl around his spine. Taking an unsteady breath he looked at everyone else in the room. "I'm sorry to break up this meeting, but if we don't hurry, Harry will be dead by morning."

Harry Potter winced as a bright light struck him across the eyes. Straining to see who had opened the cupboard, and still keep his body as protected as possible, he tried to keep the fear from his face. What he saw was not what he expected, and it was almost enough of a shock to send him mind into darkness. His cousin Dudley, was kneeling on the floor, with a glass of what looked like juice, trying to keep as quite as possible

"Harry. Harry, I'm so sorry. I've been trying to get in here since he threw you in here, but father has kept a close eye on you. Please let me help you."

Choking back a sob as he forced words from his mouth, he managed a very weak whisper. "Under my bed is a lose floorboard, you'll find a small bottle of red liquid, bring it to me." And even those words were extremely painful.

Dudley nodded his head in understanding and left to find the bottle. All that Harry could hear, was a voice in his head repeated over and over, "In case of great need, a matter of life or death, drink what is in this vial. It will call me to you." He had no idea who the voice belonged to, but if it worked, he didn't care. What seemed like hours later Dudley came back with the vial and helped Harry drink it down, and shuddered at the metallic taste as he waited for it to do it's worked. It seemed to dull the pain and clear his mind. By the look on his cousins face which he could now see clearly even without his glasses, it also had done something more.

"Harry what was that. Your face is starting to heal." came the shocked voice.

In a slightly stronger voice Harry managed to choke out another reply. "It tasted like blood."

"BLOOD. Why would you drink blood."

"I didn't know what it was. But I trusted the voice that told me it was safe."

"SAFE, you don't know that for sure. Why would you drink something like that."

As the blood worked it's way through his body, he could feel his strength returning. "At school, I've learned that things that taste vile can heal you of almost anything. Besides the voice in my head was familiar and I trusted it. It could only do one of two things, kill me or save me."

A noise from outside caught the attention of both teens, and with a look of regret, Dudley once more shut the door to the cupboard under the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

"What do you mean that he will be dead by morning?" Severus demanded of his cousin.

"Just what I said. When I oblivated his mind I left him with one thought, and a double dose of my blood. I told him if things got desperate to drink it. and I would be able to find him. From what I can tell through the blood, his injuries would have killed him long before now if it was anyone else. How he manged to survive until now I don't know." Gidean said in a whisper.

'Can you take us to him" Severus asked

"Yes, I can only take one other person. And you are not going Sev. I'll take Draco."

"Why?"

"Because you are not healed yet. And if anyone saw and recognized you or Lucius , it would mean your's and Harry's death."

Severus looked his cousin in the eye, and seeing the truth, nodded his head in understanding. "I'll get the potions you'll need to block some of his pain, and make it safe for you to move him." A few minutes after leaving the room, he returned carrying a few vials of some unnamed potion in his hand. "Gidean, what I'm giving you will only work for him. It's magically sealed to only be recognized by his core energy. Don't ask how, for I won't tell you. They will unseal themselves when you place them near his mouth."

"I understand. Any help that he can get will only make his chances for survival that much better."

\\One more thing , Gidean. He won't take any potion unless he knows they are safe. Which means straight from my hand or that he has made himself. He will no longer take anything from Poppy./

Needless to say Gidean was shocked. /And how, may I ask are we supposed to get him to take these potions./ The sneer evident in his mental voice

/Simple really. Tell him the old bat sends his love/ Severus sneered back.

Hours later, Harry felt the healing energy of the blood leave his body. He knew instinctively that the healing was not enough to fix everything that had happened to him, and unless help arrived very soon he would not live much longer. As the pain started to recloud his mind he barely made out the sounds outside of his cupboard.

Hearing his uncle's voice raise in anger made him try to pull himself into a small ball, but the pain made it almost unbearable. Flinching as the door was pulled open, he tried to pull himself into the darker shadows, but the broken bones grinding together ripped a moan out of him instead. What he heard though was a total shock to his system, and made him forget about the pain.

"Well Scarhead, looks like you made a right mess of yourself, once again." Came the familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy.

"M... Malfoy?" He tried to ask.

"What were you expecting the Easter Bunny?" Came the snort of amusement. "Of course it's me. Who else would be stupid enough to come to your side like this.?"

Harry tried to make his mind work, but only one thing was getting through. "S..Snape ... Dead." He finally managed.

"Yea, about that. I have a message for you. The old bat sends his love. And some potions he made just for you." And with that, Draco took the first vial of potion and held it to Harry's lips. Watching as the seal broke and Harry with a look of disbelief tipped his head back enough to allow the dark liquid to flow down his throat. A minute later a second vial was placed against his lips, and knowing what this one was Harry greadly drank it down.

Minutes later a deep shudder worked it's way through Harry's body, and he looked up at Draco with a weak grin. "Thanks Ferret. I needed that."

"Hey not a problem. Without you around, playing quidditch would be no fun. Never mind the fact that I would miss provoking you into a rage." Grinning down at the slight boy who, at the moment was nothing more then skin, bones, and wounds, he tried to keep his tone light, and masked the horror that he knew would be showing in his eyes otherwise.

"Uncle Sev said that you would be able to tell us when it's safe to move you after you've had those potions. Let me know when your ready so I can work on getting you out of there."

Giving a small stretch to test his bones and muscles, and feeling none of his bones moving about, Harry looked up and smiled at his school enemy. "It's safe now Ferret. As long as you take it slow so as not to jar my body completely. The first potion you gave me was a concentrated version of Skel-gro, combined with a pain reliever. The second one was for all my other injuries and boosted my energy levels. They only take a few minutes to do their work, but they do not do everything needed. I will only be able to move for about an hour maybe two, so be prepared for me to collapse again."

Harry braced himself for the pain that would occur when he was moved out of the cupboard, and throw up a mask of his own. There was no need for Draco to know how much the potions did not work on. And how much of his moving was done on pure strength of will. The message that he was giving was a whole lot more then a safe word to tell him that the potions where safe. Don't trust, move with caution, and you're safe for now also came with that one little phrase, along with a whole dose of hope that the Potion's Master really was safe. But Harry being Harry, had to make sure. "Malfoy, Snape is safe right?"

Draco helped Harry to his feet before looking into his green eyes, "Yeah, he's safe and healed. I've been told that if we don't get you to him as soon as possible, he would be using me and Gidean for test rats for any new poison that he comes across."

Harry snorted in amusement. That sounded so much like the snarky git. As Harry allowed Draco to help him walk, he tried not to let the blonde know exactly how weak he was. Coming to the living room, Harry glanced in and saw another wizard that he didn't know but also reminded him of total safety, just like Professor Snape. 'This must be Gidean' he thought to himself. Clearing his throat softly he managed to catch the other man's attention.

While Gidean turned his head slightly to catch anything being said behind him, he never took his eyes off of the Muggles in front of him.

"Don't hurt them, please." came a weak voice that he knew belonged to Harry.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill them for what they did to you." He snarled back.

"Because if you did, Professor Snape would not be able to put any of his plans in motion for revenge against them. Trust me, he spent the last two years coming up with them, and I don't know about you, but I would rather not get on his bad side." came the unexpected reply

"Good point. That man knows more about the Dark Arts then anyone else including that idiot Riddle." Putting his wand away, he turned and finally took a good look at the young man holding onto Draco's arm. The sight almost made him change his mind. Harry was an total mess, the only thing you could see on him clearly was his eyes. And they were hazed over in pain. Moving quickly, he gently took hold of the boy and started to carry him out the door.

No one noticed the look Harry threw back at his cousin. One that said I'll get you out don't worry, and stay strong. As they left the house, he noticed the spell that Gidean put on the wards surrounding the property, he knew that the Dursley's would not be leaving any time soon.

Gidean wasted no time in getting them all back to the safe house. He could still feel the damage through the blood that Harry had drunk earlier, and knew that the boy was still in danger of dieing, and had no intention of telling Draco, who was struggling to keep his face as emotionless as he could. Gidean carried Harry through the living room where everyone else was gathered waiting for them, and with a thought transformed his favorite chair into a single bed. Gently laying the boy down, he turned to his cousin and gave him a grave look.

Severus wasted no time in getting everything he needed to help his young charge, ignoring everything else around him. When those imposable green eyes opened, he was not expecting the look of relief he found in them. As close as he was to the boy, he almost missed the softly spoken words. "Your alive, I'm glad" before Harry once more passed out from his injuries.

"I don't know Albus, I really don't. All of his injuries are healed, his magic is restored to near normal. I don't know where to go from here." Came the voice of the Potion's Master into Harry's mind. 'That's funny. I've never noticed him to be so out of control.' Harry thought to himself, before once more allowing the darkness to take over.

It seemed like Harry was floating in a sea of black, with a loud storm swirling around him. Unable to stand to much more noise, he tried to block his ears, but found that he could not move his arms. Instead he found himself whimpering. Not knowing that it was out loud, until all sound stopped. Slowly the noise started up again, but this time he worked it out as actual words.

"Harry? Harry can you hear me?"

The voice was familiar, but he was having troubles placing where he had heard it before. All he managed to get out was another whimper from the pain that even that simple question had caused.

"Draco, Hurry go get your godfather. I believe that Harry is finally waking up."

Trying desperately to block out the noise, without succumbing to the blackness once again, he started concentrating on simple things. His breathing, and then his heartbeat. He had almost blocked out all external noise, but he lost his concentration when even more noise intruded. This time though a familiar smell and touch also made itself known. As the noise escalated to the point that the darkness was once again trying pull him back under, his whimper turned into hoarse words. "too loud, please professor, make them be quite."

Long cool fingers briefly touched his forehead, before leaving. As he listened to the footsteps move away, and when the noise only increased yet again, he waited for that commanding voice to tell the rest to shut up. Bracing himself for what he knew was coming, he wished that he could cover his ears.

"That Is Enough. Mr. Potter has made it known that the lot of you are making too much noise. If you can't Shut your Mouths, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Sweet blessed silence.

"Thank you very much. Now if you would be kind enough to maintain this silence so I can insure that Mr. Potter is indeed okay, I would greatly appreciate it." Turning on his heel, Severus Snape made his way back to Harry's side. Lowering himself down onto the low chair next to the bed, he gently picked up one of Harry's hands and started to manipulate the bones and muscles to make sure everything had healed properly, going up from the hand, he worked his way slowly but surely through every part of the young man's body, before he once again said a word.

"Is that better now Mr. Potter?" Was all he asked. Knowing full well that Harry would understand what he was talking about.

"Yes Sir. It was just that they were making so much noise. It felt like I was being beaten by the sound."

"That is understandable. Now I need you to open your eyes so you can see the potions I'm going to be giving you. Same as last time. I don't give you anything you can't identify or at least ask questions about."

"I'll try Sir. I won't be able to see very well because along with everything else my glasses were destroyed by the Dursley's."

"WHAT? Are you telling me that those foul Muggles took everything from you?"

This one question sent a gasp of horror through the room, followed by everyone else trying to ask questions. A low whimper from the bed, brought the Potions Master back to himself, and before anyone could come near, he had everyone kicked out of the room.

"I'm sorry for that Potter. Surly they didn't take your wand and everything else?"

"Yes Sir." Came a barely audible answer. "My uncle took everything. One the way back to the house from the station he stopped on one of the country roads, and after beating me, he took my trunk and proceeded to empty everything out of it. My pictures of my parents, the invisibility cloak, the marauders map, the books, everything. When he couldn't find my wand in the trunk, he searched me until they did find it. he sn...snapped it in half and through it on the pile. The shock almost made me pass out, it felt like part of my soul had died. Then my uncle went back to the car and brought out Hedwig. he placed her on top of the pile and then dumped petrol all over her. The shock from my wand snapping already had me on my knees, and unable to stop him, he grabbed my head so that I could not look away. Th...th..then he throw a match on the pile to light the whole thing on fire. I could hear Hedwig. It was awful and he forced me to watch. After she died, and the pile was almost gone he took my glasses and threw them on top of what was left, said I wouldn't need them anymore because I was never going back to that freak school."

By the time Harry was done with his story, he was shaking and crying so hard that he could barely be understood. Carefully picking Harry up, Professor Snape cradled the teen against his chest and slowly rocked him back in forth. He could not believe the horror of what the boy had gone through with in the first few hours of being in the care of his Uncle and Aunt.

"It's alright Harry, It's alright. Let it all out." He said to the whimpering teen. Trying his best to console him from his loss, and what a loss it was. Having both his wand and familiar taken in such a brutal fashion would have killed most anyone. When Harry had fallen asleep once again. He laid him back down on the bed, and after gathering the potions that he did not use, he left the room. Careful to put up both a monitoring spell to alert him if Harry was in need of anything, and silencing spells so that Harry would not hear the uproar from those waiting outside the door for news.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

Severus ignored the questions directed his way when he left the room. Poppy, after taking in all the unused potions, decided to check on her favorite patient only to be stopped before she could take more then two steps towards the closed door, by the Potions Master pulling over and settling in to a comfortable chair in front of the door.

"Severus, What is the meaning of this? You should have given him those potions. He needs them to gain back his strength." She said, frustration coloring her words.

"He's asleep at the moment, Poppy. And trust me when I say that those potions are not going to help him anymore then they already have. I think it would be best if you left. And I think you should take the Malfoy's with you. They don't need to hear what I'm going to say at the moment and I'm sorry to say it, but neither do you. If Harry wants to tell you all later that's his choice, but I can not and will not break the trust he put in me." Severus said in tired voice. Moments later the three of them left. But not without giving the Potions Master dirty looks.

Ignoring the headmaster he turned his gaze to his cousin. "Gidean, does the clan still raise hunting birds to use for bonding? And does it also still have a wand maker? If so, how much is it going to take to convince The Dane to either send some of both to us, or for us to go to him?"

Shock evident in his eyes even though his face remained impassive, Gidean studied the onyx eyes across from him. "Last time I checked there were a few unbonded birds around. And the clan still has the old wand maker. But you know as well as I do that those birds are Dane's pride a joy and he doesn't let just any one near them. And as for the wands, they are only made for wizards who are extremely powerful."

"I know that. Why do you think I'm asking. What I want to know is if we have to go to him or if he can come to us!"

"Tell me why. Those birds only bond with one who has no familiar, and for them to be taken away from the clan... Well lets just it's never happened before."

"Please Gidean. Just ask him. If he needs to know who they are for, just tell him that both wand and bird are for the Boy Who Lived." Knowing full well the reaction to that statement, Severus braced himself for the questions the headmaster would have..

Dumbledore sat silently for a few minutes, while drinking his tea. Going over the state of shock from Harry. And the conversation that Gidean and Severus had, he started to put some things together. Blue eyes locked with black,. "What happened to Hedwig, and Harry's wand?"

"Why Headmaster, I thought that would be obvious. The boys family destroyed them. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones you constantly send the boy back to, even after he's asked you not too." Severus sneered at the headmaster, eyes flashing a dangerous combination of black and violet.

The usual twinkle in the headmaster's eyes turned into ice. Turning towards Gidean he added his own plea to the request to The Dane. "Please inform your Dane that Harry is in desperate need of both wand and bird before he sucumbs permittly to the darkness. If he is willing to help us, we would all greatly appreciate it."

"Of course Headmaster." Gidean rose from his chair and made himself comfortable on the floor leaning against the wall. As his breathing deepened his whole body became still until it looked like he was a statue. As time passed the others in the room became lost in their own thoughts. Only to be startled out of them by the quite voice of the man on the floor. "The Dane comes. But he would like to meet with the boys bestfriends. And then he would like to meet the boys family."

As Gidean loosened stiffen mucles, and brought his mind back to the realm of the living, the headmaster wrote out a note and made to a portkey to bring Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger to the safe house. Before he could send them off with his pheonex, a tapping at the window harrolded the arrival of two very large eagles. As soon as Severus opened the window to allow them in, they being considerate of their size, hoped to the floor and jumped/bounded to the door leading to Harry's room.

"I do believe nephew that Ebony and Jewel would like in to see the young man in question." Came an intirely new voice.

Executing a deep bow in the direction he knew The Dane to be, Severus replied with the exacting honor due to the leader of The Clan, and gave his reply. "My apologize Uncle, but without permission from Mr. Potter I cannot allow them or you in to see him. He is extremely sinsitive to power flows at the moment, and I'm afraid that if the birds due decide to bond to him until he is awake it will only cause more harm."

Seconds passed by as the Dane thought about what Severus had just said. Finally he decided to appear to the group around him, instead of remaining invisable to all. "Relax Sev. I understand that you, unlike some others I can name, only have Harry's safety in mind. Do you know when he will awaken."

Coming up from his bow, he crossed the room until he stood right in front of his uncle, and allowed the embrace he knew his uncle wanted. "He should be awake soon. It will give us time to contact his friends and have them come here. I'm not sure exactly what he will say to us making this choice for him though. He doesn't like things going on around him without knowing about it."

Albus remained where he was as he watched the mini family reunion, he had not sent off the note, but decided to wait until Harry was awake. Turning his attention to the birds he attempted to approach them, but moved back in alarm when they started to hiss at him. An amused chuckle was directed his way, and in reply he let his eyes twinkle to their fullest degree. "Not very friendly are they. I'm not sure if I want them near any of my students."

Violet eyes met blue, but The Dane's eyes glittered in cold fury, "They don't allow anyone near them except for me or their bonded. If they decide to bond with Harry Potter, I can insure that they will be on their best behauviour, and unless directed to they will not harm anyone unless they feel there is a threat."

"If I may ask..." Was all Dumbledore got out before he was rudely cut off.

"No you may not. At this moment I do not like you. Anyone who can send a child back to a family like that year after year, does not deserve the trust that is placed in their hands. And unlike some who do not have the power to shut you up until all facts are known, I do." With a wave of The Dane's hand the headmaster found himself bound to a chair and silenced, as far away from the door to Harry's room as he could get and still remain in the same room.

A slight tingle within the monitoring spell alerted Severus, that Harry was not only awake but listening at the door. The Brat had found away to decieve the spell. Raising his voice slightly he called out, "Mr. Potter. Do you know how rude it is to listen behind closed doors?"

Seconds later the door cracked open and Harry Potter made his way from the bedroom. Smiling slightly he replied, "About as rude as talking about someone behind their back." Looking over the room, he noticed the headmaster in the far corner. "You know, for once that looks good on him." A snort of amusment made his eyes swing to the only unknown figure in the room. Taking in the physical features, he glanced down to where his Potions Master was sitting. "Blood relation of yours sir." he asked politly. Recieving a nod in answer his attention went back to the unknown and let his magic out to 'taste' the new arrival. His answer sent his magic back inside himself fast. Shaking his head he murmered "Don't let Hermoine find out. If she does, I'll never live it down."

Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked towards the vistor, as he rolled up his sleeve. Before any one could protest he offered his wrist while bowing deep at the waist. "My lord, thank you for offering your help. In return please accept the gift of life from me."

Standing and facing the young man, The Dane returned the bow. "Help is offered to those who are found worthy. Your gift honors me." Taking the offered hand, he drew Harry up and placed his lips on the boys wrist. His incisors lengthened and pierced the skin and extended into the vein below. Taking the prescribed five mouthfulls of blood, he pulled his fangs back and gently licked the spot to heal the twin holes, before releasing the wrist. "Thank you young Harry. Not many know how to deal with my kind anymore."

Harry smiled and walked back towards where his professor was sitting before sinking to the floor in front of the chair. "In my forth year Hermoine was helping me do research for the Triwizard Tournament. She came across a section of Vampires that she thought might come in handy one day, and made sure the three of us knew the proper proccedure in greeting and excepting help from them. I must say that I never thought that it would come in handy."

"I see." The Dane studied the way Harry sat on the floor near the Potions Master's feet. By all accounts he knew that the two did not get along, but according to the posture of the two, his informants were wrong. "Harry, may I ask you a question and get an honest answer in return?" Holding up his hand to forstall an immediant answer he continued. "I understand if you refuse to answer anything I ask, but please understand that I only have your well being in mind."

Harry snorted, "That's what everyone tells me. 'We only have your best intrests in mind'. Story of my life." Sighing in resignation he shrugged his shoulders, "go ahead and ask. Just warning you that you might not like my answer if I do decide to give you one."

"Mr. Potter. Please show some respect for you elders." Snape said in an too calm voice, his foot tapping out an impatient pattern on the floor next to Harry.

"No Sev. It's alright. I do understand his reactions." The Dane quickly interfered. "Harry, could you please tell me why you are sitting on the floor near Sev's feet instead of in one of the free chairs?"

A look of surprise crossed Harry's face, as he felt his professor still completly. He knew that Snape was not to happy with the question, but also understood that he would not say anything, as he waited to see if Harry would respond. After a few minutes lost in thought, Harry was ready to attempt an answer.

"That Sir, is an easy question and a difficult one. And both questions have the same answer. Trust." Harry finally replied. When he felt Snape's foot start tapping again, he knew he gave the right responce.

"Would you like to attempt to clarify that Harry. From what I understand of the relationship between the two of you, that is a most unexpected answer." The Dane asked puzzled.

"I'll try Sir. I'll start with the difficult answer first. You are correct in the nature of our relationship, it has not been an easy one. Over the past few years though, I started to notice that every time I found myself in trouble, Professor Snape was always there to help me. That was the start of the trust between us. Since my Godfather died though, I found myself lost, and he was the one who helped me find myself. As we trained together, the trust grew even more. We developed a set of codes that could be used at anytime, to alert the other if something was wrong. At the moment, I am still under one of those codes. The easy answer, I do not trust the Headmaster, and as long as he is in the room, I will stay where I know I'm safe."

"I understand. One more question for now. What happened to your wand and Owl?" The Dane asked, not really expecting an answer though.

"At the moment Sir, I refuse to answer that. For the simple reason as I do not know you. Among other things."

"Alright Harry, that's understandable. One of the reasons why I'm here is because Sev asked about the Clan's bond birds for you. I brought two of the unbonded birds with me. They agreed to see if they would accept you, or if they don't if one of the other birds would be better. But only if you're willing."

Harry looked up at his professor, an unasked question in his eyes. When he recieved a nod in responce, Harry turned back to The Dane and nodded his acceptence to the birds.

Harry started in surprise when the two birds bounded over to him. Reaching out slowly he was rewarded with being able to stroke the soft feathers on both of their heads. Feeling a slight pressure against his mind, he carefully lowered his shields to let in what he knew would be one of the birds. Much to his and everyone else's surprise he found both birds willing to bound to him. Accepting the honor offered to him, he found himself being coverd by two sets of very large wings.

Getting over his shock The Dane looked at Harry, "I don't think I have ever seen two birds bond with the same wizard before. It seems young Harry that there is much more to you then you let on. Would you be kind enough to tell me which bird is which. Just to make sure the bonding was complete."

"Of course Sir. Jewel is on the right and Ebony is on the left. If I am hearing correctly, they are life mates, and would like my permission to bring their offspring here to also find a bondmate." Was the imediate response.

:THAT WOULD ONLY TAKE CARE OF ONE OF OUR OFFSPRING: Ebony told him.

:WITH YOUR PERMISSION WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF JADE WOULD BE WILLING TO BOND TO YOUR PROTECTOR: Jewel continued.

/Must I tell him that. Or can we surprise him. It's not often that I can surprise him with things./

:BY ALL MEANS THEN. LETS SURPRISE HIM. THIS WAY IF IT DOES NOT HAPPEN, NO ONE IS HURT:

/Thank you love./

Looking up from Jewels eyes, he noted the looks of everyone as they waited for him to stop talking with his birds. "Eh sorry about that. I was getting orders from her highness here." he said while gesturing at Jewel. He turned to watch as Ebony worked his way up and out the window to retrieve his offspring.

"And Mr. Potter. Just what orders were you given?" Professor Snape asked.

"She would like to know how soon we can have Ron and Hermoine here. She would really like to meet them." Harry lied smoothly, while being buffeted upside the head by a wing for said lie.

"I see. I do believe that the headmaster was going to send a portkey to bring them here. I think it is are over on the desk." Snape told him

Before he could get up to retrieve said portkeys. Jewel made herself heard once again.

:NO. DO NOT TRUST IT. IT FEELS WRONG:

Settling back down Harry looked at the Headmaster. "Jewel says that the portkey feels wrong. She does not want me near it."

The Dane stood and sauntered over to where the portkey waited on the desk. He looked it over and then reached for the note that was attached to it.

Ron and Hermoine

We have found Harry, and have brought him to a safe location. When he awakens I will bring him to Hogwarts. It has been asked of me to bring the two of you to see him. The inclosed portkey will take you to the school.

Albus Dumbledore.

Headmaster

Dane looked over to where Dumbledore sat, "I see you are planning to remove Harry from this house. Unfortunatly for you, only one of my blood can remove him from the protection of the wards surrounding this place. I don't believe either Gidean or Severus will allow that without a fight." Casting a spell to make the portkey useless, he reactivated it to bring the other children to the safe house. "Harry, would you please write a note to your friends asking them if they would like to spend some time here with you?"

"Of course Sir. How long should I ask them to pack for?" Harry ask getting up slowly from his spot on the floor.

It was Professor Snape who answered. "We have a lot to go over before the begining of term starts again. Ask them to stay for the weekend. And if you would like you can ask Miss. Granger to bring the information for the bonds with her."

"Yes Sir." After writing the new note, Harry called Jewel over to him, watching in amusment as the eagle hopped over to him before using her wings to give her the boost needed to alight at the open window. Tying the note and the new portkey to her leg, he looked her in the eye in order to give her the name of the Burrow,

/Since this is your time first flying there, are you sure you will be able to find the place/

:YES BONDED. WILL THEY BOTH BE AT THIS PLACE:

/I'm not sure. If not, Ron will be able to get in touch with Hermoine. Please take whatever note he gives you to her./

:I WILL. EBONY WILL BE BACK SOON. HE WAS ONLY ABLE TO CONVINCE JADE TO COME BACK WITH HIM:

/Thank you love. Go and stay safe./ Harry watched as Jewel launched herself out of the window, before sighing and turning back to the wizards in the room. Seeing four almost identical expressions, he knew it was time to face the music. Locking his gaze with that of the potions master, he narrowed his eyes. Today HE would be damned if he allowed this man to walk all over him without giving as good as he got.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five.

Before his professor could start asking questions, Harry gave a slight flick of his hand asking him to wait.. He was astonished to see that along with Snape, The Dane and Gidean also gave the sign of acknowledgment. The smirk of amusement on Snape's face was enough to snap him out of his shock.

Knowing that The Dane was the one who bound Dumbledore, Harry turned to him with another bow of respect. "My lord. Could you please release the Headmaster. I have a few questions for him that I need answers to."

"Of course young one. But I am not your Lord, therefore, I would be honored if you called my by my given name. Damean."

With a smile that lit up his eyes, Harry nodded his agreement not knowing what a tremendous honor that really was. Allowing his eyes to grow hard once more, he turned to the Headmaster. "Sir. I would like to know what right you had to tell my aunt and uncle about my godfather's death and my vaults. I would also like to know why you keep insisting that I spend time in that house every summer."

"My boy. You know the reason I send you home every summer. You need to spend time with your family in order for the blood protection to work. Just like I knew that your family could help you with the death of Sirius. As for your vaults, they had a right to know that you had the money to pay for your own school and clothing. I know that they have troubles making ends meet in order to keep you and your cousin dressed. Otherwise, I'm sure that you would not be wearing second hand clothing." The headmaster tried to explain himself.

"Oh that's rich sir. You send me to that hell hole every summer to protect me from Voldemort. As soon as he used my blood to bring back his body, the blood protection no longer worked." Harry started only to be cut off.

As the headmaster once more lost the twinkle in his eye, he stated in a cold tone of voice. "Harry, I will not be spoken to in such a matter. I do believe Professor Snape has been correct in saying that I gave you far to much leeway over the years. Trust me when I say that it will not continue over the next year. I should think you have more respect for your elders by now."

Harry's eyes flashed a dangerous green as he glared back at the headmaster. "Damean, please replace his binding. I really do not want to be interrupted again while I explain a few things to this man." Seconds later, an outraged Dumbledore once more sat bound and gagged against the chair.

"I'm only going to explain this to you once Sir. After that, I would like you to leave. Either with help or by yourself, I really don't care so you better listen closely. First of all, I would like to say that I have total respect for my elders, when they in turn respect me. Those people have never been my family and that house has never been my home. My home is Hogwarts. There I only had to worry about being blasted by a certain snarky potions master, who's dislike of me was well known. I had everything i needed there to defend myself from a madman. My family consists of the Weasley, Hermione and the Professors at Hogwarts. They all did their best to help and defend me. I know for fact that I would have been dead after my first quidditch match if it where not for Professor Snape and many more times over the years if he had not stepped in. As I've already said, because Voldemort used my blood, the blood protection from my mother no longer worked. Which you knew. Since the time I first landed on their doorstep, I was never safe from the Dursleys. I was turned into a slave and locked in a small cupboard under the stairs. I was starved and beaten, all because I could do magic. I was dressed in Dudley's old clothes because according to them, a freak like me didn't deserve anything. The only type of abuse I didn't suffer at their hands was physical sexual abuse but have no doubts, the sexual abuse was there, the only reason why they didn't go any further, was because they didn't want to soil themselves on dirty garbage. I never told them about my money because I knew they would find a way to take it from me. The only thing that kept me safe from them between the summer of my fourth year and now was the fact they were afraid of my godfather, who they believed was a mass murderer. That all changed when they got your letter. They knew that I had money. More money then I could ever spend by myself. Just like they also knew that if I were dead, being my guardians, they would get it all." Harry stopped here, closed his eyes and tried to get his temper back under control. He knew from experience that nothing good ever happened if he lost control.

After a few minutes, he reopened his eyes and met the shock in the blue ones across from him. Taking a few steps back to bring himself next to Professor Snape, Harry started speaking softly once again. "I have physical proof that I'm not lying. I will show you that proof but understand this. I do not trust you headmaster. After the death of my Godfather and the things you have kept from me over the years, never mind what happened this summer, I don't know if i will ever trust you again. I have only trusted one other person this. He promised me that he would never tell. If I could get away with it, I would not show you but at the moment, I really don't think that option is available to me any longer. Harry slowly slipped off the shirt that had been found for him, before looking down at Snape. "Please Professor, would you remove the glamor you placed on me?"

Professor Snape knew this was coming and that this step was necessary. But he had to make sure that it was truly what the teen wanted. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Receiving only a nod in answer, he pulled out his wand and removed the glamour that he had cast after he found out about the scarring.

Keeping his gaze locked on the Headmaster, he watched as tears filled those old blue eyes as he took in the damage on the young man's body. Harry turned around so that scars on his back were also visible. After a minute, Harry replaced his shirt but kept his back turned so he no longer had to look at the elderly wizard. After it was back on, he felt the brush of familiar magic that hid the scars once again. Still not looking at the headmaster, Harry said in a soft voice. "I hope you understand now. I really don't want to see or talk to you again this summer. Please leave."

Harry walked towards the window and stared out of it while he listened as his headmaster was released from his bonds and slowly walked out the door. Heaving a sigh of relief at no longer having to see the older wizard, he turned back to the three men remaining in the room. Looking his Professor in the eye, he stated in a weary voice. "We are going to have to leave. He's not going to stay a way."

Professor Snape nodded in agreement. " For once Harry, I agree with you. We will leave here as soon as Granger and Weasley arrive."

Giving a small smile, Harry just shook his head. " I'm sorry Professor. If you plan on waiting, then your going to be waiting a long time. I let Ron know that he was not to use the portkey or trust anything the headmaster told him. I have a feeling Dumbledore will be going to The Burrow and telling Mum and the rest of the family that I was not myself when I wrote that note. I've warned Ron not to trust anything the headmaster says. He knows that I'm now with you, and that I'm safe."

"And pray tell Mr. Potter. Just how did you tell him all that. You only sent a short note." Snape sneered.

"Simple really. I told him that black eyed pixies hate the sun and prefer to trust hunting at night. He'll understand" Harry told him while making sure that he was out of the direct line of fire.

Damean was still in shock from what he heard and saw. He tried to make sense out of the code phrase but was unable to. Gidean on the other hand, was trying to hold back his laughter when he saw the look of outrage on his cousin's face. "I can't believe you called Sev a pixie." He snorted.

Harry just grinned while still keeping a chair between him and Snape. "I didn't. Ron came up with that one. Hermione didn't understand why I refused her suggestion of 'old bat' so I had to give in to Ron before she could start asking questions. The sun refers to the Headmaster of course. The term prefers to trust hunt at night, lets them know that I'm in hiding and they should be getting another letter from me within a day."

"Indeed. It's nice to know that you finally learned something from me over the years. I believe though that I shall be talking to those two about their lack of respect." Snape said. Taking in Harry's pale complexion, he knew that he should be ordering the teen to rest but also knew that it was no use. Trying to force that boy to do things he didn't want to do was futile when things needed to be done. Harry's next words proved that he was right.

"Sir, I know that we have a lot to talk about. I was wondering, since it's not yet time for lunch, if we could perhaps do some shopping. I need to replace everything and I really don't want to do that with Ron and Hermione around."

Damean finally found his voice again. "I agree that we need to take you shopping Harry and that we should do that before we make our way to another safe spot. But don't you think that you should rest some before we leave?"

Snape answered before Harry could. "No Uncle, that really is not a good idea. For one Potter will not listen. He's never had any respect for doing what is best for him. And another, if we stay here, Dumbledore will find away to bring the whole Order here in an attempt to make Harry do what he wants." Harry just nodded his head in agreement.

"If the two of you are sure, then that's what we'll do. I do believe that we will join the clan for the rest of the summer. But I was wondering though if it was possible for the two of you to use each other's first names. This last name business is starting to get really annoying." Damean asked.

"Yes Sev. I'm sure if you tried, you could convince Harry that your not a Pixie." Snorted Gidean.

"Thank you very much cousin. I would ask that you don't encourage Harry, he's bad enough in his disrespect of me as is." Severus said with a glare at the giggling teen, before focusing on Gidean.

"Aw Sev, if I didn't know you better, I could swear you actually cared." Harry snickered.

"That's enough out of you Brat. You should see if you can contact your birds and tell them we will be joining the clan so that they don't have to search all over for you."

Harry gave the Potions Master a deep bow and managed to say with a perfectly straight face. "Of course My Master. Your wish is my command."

"Insolent whelp."

"Rather that then a bat. Or a pixie." Harry rejoined.

Damean and Gidean watched the two of them joke back in forth as they got ready to leave. Gidean finally managed to voice the thoughts of them both. "I take it the two of you were putting on an act for your dear Headmaster?"

"Not really, when in public I always use Sev's title. But since you asked us to drop the formalities and the Bat actually used my name first, I followed his lead." Harry explained. "It's safer for both of us this way." Severus just nodded his head in agreement.

Damean watched as Harry moved around the room. He felt a kind of kinship with the teen and needed one question answered before he could do what he felt was right. "Harry, I know you asked us to wait until later for any questions we might have for you. But in order to help you in anyway that I can from an official point, I need to understand a few things."

Seeing The Dane emerge, Harry looked to his professor to find out what he should do. Sev nodded his head in encouragement and Harry turned back to The Dane. "I'll do my best to answer your questions Sir."

"Thank you Harry. First, other then those Muggles, do you have any other blood relations?"

"No Sir. I am the last of the Potter Line. There is no one else from the Evan's Line."

"I see. Have the Weasleys ever wanted to legally adopt you?"

"No Sir. At least not to my knowledge."

At this point The Dane hesitated. He was unsure how to phrase the next question without hurting Harry in someway. Fortunately for him, Severus knew what he was trying to say.

Professor Snape asked the next question. "Mr. Potter, I do believe what my uncle is trying to say is that after tonight, he can no longer help you without permission from a guardian. Which is why, in his own bumbling fashion, he was asking about the Weasleys. In the eyes of the magical community, the Dursleys are no longer your guardians. I filed that paperwork the day after you where brought here."

Harry was shocked, "I really don't have to go back to them Sir?" He asked softly, hope unfolding in his eyes.

"No Harry. You never have to go back to that miserable house again" was the equally soft response.

"Thank you, Severus."

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Snape went back to the subject at hand. "That still leaves us with a problem though. Dumbledore knows the bond is broken so that can not be used. And anyone in the Order will listen to him, so they cannot be trusted. Not even Remus. I'm sorry Harry."

They all watched as Harry started to think everything through. When Harry started to smile, Severus groaned in dismay. He knew that look all to well, had learned over the years to dread it.

"Just what Gryffindorish thought just went through your head. I know you well enough to know that you just came up with a rather foolish idea." Snape snapped.

At this, Harry started laughing. When Snape glared at him, he started to laugh even harder. "I'm sorry sir. I'll try to explain. In order to understand you're going to need to think like a Gryffindor that has no choice but to think like a Slytherin."

If looks could kill, Harry would have had no doubt that he would be dead. But to his way of thinking, this was the only solution. "Honestly Sir, if you put yourself in my parents shoes, the answer should come to you. They both knew the headmaster to be a meddling old fool and if push came to shove, he would do what was best for the Wizarding World and not their son. They also knew that sooner or later, The Dark Lord would come after them because of the prophecy. Under those conditions, they would have to assume that their Secret Keeper may not live and that the godfather of their son may also die before he came of age. What would you do Sir?"

Harry watched as all three men thought about that. Damean was the first to answer. "Under those conditions, I would have made a second will. Naming a second guardian for my son."

Gidean came next, "A person that I could trust no matter what and that I also didn't care for so no one would expect them."

Harry nodded his head in agreement. Then asked his Professor one last question. "After asking yourself who you knew met those requirements, who would you pick Sir."

Silence.

"Your father would not have done that." Snape said slowly.

"But my mother would" came the immediate reply

"You would need to prove it."

"I know. Where would the safest place for that kind of information be?"

"Gringotts."

"that's what I thought also."

Damean and Gidean listened to the final part of the conversation, confusion evident in their eyes. "Would one of you like to explain what the two of you are talking about?" Damean broke in.

Harry smirked and Severus sneered, before giving in and telling his uncle what they thought. "The boy is finally using that head on his shoulders. He has figured out that his parents made two wills. One of the wills was hidden in the most secure spot in the Wizarding world. In their Gringotts vault. Harry is under the impression that James and Lily gave me custody if anything should happen to his godfather. I believe that he may be correct but only to the degree, that it was temporary until I could find a better guardian for him."

Damean looked between the two before he started to smile. It looked like they had found a small loophole to work with. All they needed to do now was hope it was true.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Although the mood between the three older wizards lifted with the news that there might be a loophole for them to work with, Damean watched in concern as Harry became more and withdrawn. When he was unable to figure out what was wrong, he pulled his nephew to the side to ask if he knew what was going on in the young one's head.

"Sev, I'm really worried about Harry. Are you sure he's ready for this trip? It might be best if we waited another day." he said, concern lacing his voice.

Severus had also been watching Harry. It seemed, to his eyes at least, that the boy was mentally preparing himself to once again don the mask of The Boy Who Lived or any of the other masks the teen would put on to wear on a regular basis. In an undertone, he tried to explained what was going on. "Think about it Uncle. Harry wears a lot of different masks, even with his friends, in order to protect himself. At the moment, Harry is doing nothing more than to once again prepare to face the public."

"Why would a boy his age need to wear a mask? Wouldn't it be better if he let the world know who he really was?" Gidean asked, also joining the conversation.

Severus snorted in contempt "Let me put it this way. When I first sent my message to The Dane for help, what did I call him."

"You said that the Boy Who Lived needed help."

"Would you have helped, if I had asked for any other of my students?"

"You have a point. But that still doesn't explain the mask."

"Ok. Let me ask you this. Have you seen The Boy Who Lived today."

"I'm not sure what you mean, Of course we've seen him, he's right in front of us."

"NO. That's not The Boy Who Lived. The Boy Who Lived, breaths confidence when things need to be done. He starts to give orders and others follow them without question since he is a natural leader, even more so than Dumbldore or Riddle. I have not seen The Boy Who Lived since the last day of the school term. Today alone, I've seen a rebelling teen and a young man that has been hurt by those he should trust. A young child that has been hurt in so many ways, he should be, to all extents broken beyond repair but isn't due to his will power. You have not seen The Boy Who Lived, The Saviour of the Wizarding World, Gryffindor's Golden Boy, one member of the Golden trio or Harry. Trust me when I say that over the next few weeks, you will see mask after mask. I'm not sure if you will ever see just Harry. I really don't think anyone has, including his friends. At least not often." taking a deep breath, he finally looked Damean in the eye. "Today in Diagon Ally, you will see The Saviour of the Wizarding World and The Boy Who Lived. If I'm not mistaken, one of them will show up here even before we leave. He is respectful but hates authority and hates beyond all other things to be left in the dark about things he needs to know in order to survive and keep those he cares about alive. Be prepared for him to do and say anything, including hearing him mutter under his breath about having to spend time with the 'Greasy Git'. He'll do as he is asked but only after he thinks about it and believes that it's the best thing to do. He's a natural at making split second decisions that are usually the right ones. But don't expect him to show any of these talents, he would prefer to stay in the background for as long as possible. If anything should happen to set him off, all I'm asking you to do is step back and let him deal with it. No matter what."

Harry, who had heard some of the titles Sev had told Damean and Gidean, entered the conversation with a snort of contempt. "You forgot one of my many titles Sev. In this case the most important one. You forgot to tell them about the 'Chosen One'. Not that I blame you of course. I hate that title, just like all the rest, just like you hate having to deal with them all."

"You do know you don't have to wear a mask around us right Harry." Damean asked him while Gidean nodded his agreement. He looked up as Harry gave a small snort of disbelief. The two of them watched in awe as the first of the masks took it's place before Harry answered.

"I'm sorry Sir. But I don't think you understand, in order to survive, I must hide who I am, I do not take off my masks, not even here. If you would please excuse me, I need to make sure that nothing has been left behind for me to be tracked by." Turning to Severus, the first noticable mask continued. "Excuse me, Professor, but has everything that has any of my blood been destroyed?"

"What do you take me for Potter? Mr. Longbottom? I know how to dispose of unwanted material." Professor Snape sneered.

"My mistake professor. It won't happen again." The Boy Who Lived grumbled under his breath as he left the room.

Gidean didn't know what to think. He finally turned on his cousin. "Severus Snape, what has got into you?"

"For each of his many masks, I have one that goes with it. It gets worse before it gets better" was the only reply he received.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are Professor." Harry said from the fireplace. His mask firmly in place and his eyes shuttered.

Snape paused for a moment to make sure his own mask was up before nodding to the others. Gliding over to the teen, he stopped and lowered his voice trying to help Harry in some small way deal with some of the baggage he carried around on his young shoulders. "For what it's worth Harry, I am sorry that we have to do this. If it wasn't for the fact that we needed to go to Gringotts, we could have owl-ordered anything that you needed."

"I know Sev. I don't like it but I know. Can we go now? I hate traveling by floo and the quicker it's done, the better I'll be."

Smirk firmly in place, Snape took a pinch of floo powder and called out his destination. Quickly followed by the rest.

As soon as Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron noticed that Harry was there, he immediately started the hero worship. The only thing that stopped the others in the pub from getting near Harry was the the sneering voice of one pissed off Potions Master.

"If you are quite done Mr. Potter, I would like to get this duty over with as soon as possible. You and your fans are wasting my time." With the flare of those trademark black robes, Professor Snape left the pub without waiting for Harry's response.

Sighing with resignation, Harry just shrugged his shoulders at Tom and followed after Snape with Gidean and Damean bringing up the rear. Walking through the back door of the pub and standing before the entrance way to Diagon Alley, he muttered a very soft "thank you" to Snape and received a quirk of the lips in reply.

Gidean had been pondering for awhile, the only problem he could see. He stopped Severus from opening the wall leading into Diagon Alley with one simple question. "Harry, where is the key for your vault?"

Harry smiled at the godsmacked expressions that graced the faces of both Snape and Damean. Apparantly, they had not thought that far ahead. He truly did love to see that look on the Potions Masters face and kinda wished that he had a camera available to capture the look. Just because he didn't see it there that often.

"I made sure last summer to give my key to the goblin in charge of my vault. Griphook is the only other being besides Molly Weasley to have any type of access to them" he reassured the three wizards. Sighs of relief could be heard from all.

The four of them honestly did try to make a quick trip to Gringotts. Unfortunately, this did not happen. News of Harry's arrival quickly spread until the whole Alley seemed to buzz with the news. For the first time, Damean and Gidean truly understood what Severus meant about Harry and his masks. As soon as Harry heard the first of the whispers moments after setting foot in the Alley, The Boy Who Lived was replaced with 'Harry Potter, The Chosen Saviour of the Wizarding World'. The confidant stride, lopsided smile and gleaming eyes of the young man were the complete opposite of what they had seen through out the earlier part of the day. Harry sauntered through The Alley with an practiced elegant grace. Calling out greetings to the people he knew and answering the calls from the people he didn't. All the time seeming to ignore the fuming Potions Master at his side. Said Potions Master was the only reason the group continued to move forward as no one wanted to get to close to the snarky man.

It wasn't until they actually reached Gringotts that everything started to go wrong. Harry had just breathed a sigh of relief, he was finally getting away from his adoring public without any mishaps, when the familiar cold drawling voice stopped him cold in his tracks.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't St. Potty. Whatever happened to the Burning Bush, that usually follows you around every where?" Draco sneered at him.

Harry's eyes started to glow with an unnatural light as he turned to his school nemises. Sneer firmly in place, Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy. A very much alone Draco Malfoy. "You know what they say Malfoy. 'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.' But in your case, I'd just rather not waste my time. Besides without your little friends surrounding you, you're nothing but a scared bully, trying to look big."

"Scared Potter. Of you. Ha, only in your dreams."

A thrill of alarm raced down Harry's spine. The two of them had traded this particular insult time and time again over the years and this was the first time the traditional response of 'you wish' was not used.

"The only dreams I have of you Malfoy are nothing but nightmares. And I wouldn't wish those on anyone." Harry sneered back. Hoping Draco had received his message.

"Don't worry Scarhead, the sentiment is returned ten fold." message received, in other words.

Smirking, Harry gave a suitable response. Hoping that the blonde would figure out the meaning behind the words.. "Go away Malfoy, I have business to take care off before joining the twins for tea. We were planning on discussing their newest invention. Maybe you would like to join us later in testing it. We've decided to call it Ferret Juice." Without waiting to see if Draco would be able to form a coherent reply, Harry spun on his heel and walked away in a manner that reminded most of a certain snarky Professor.

Following Harry's lead, the three older wizards gave the blonde identical sneers and followed the Boy Who Lived. With their longer strides they easily caught up with him.

Harry could feel the fury rolling off the Potions Master. He only hoped that Snape would let him explain before turning his famous temper loose. Although he hid it well, his experience with his uncle were still extremely fresh in his mind and facing the Potions Master terrified him. All that Harry wanted to really do at the moment was curl up in a small dark place and await for the coming storm to pass.

Damean watched the defensive posture of the teen which became more and more pronounced the closer Severus got. He hoped for the boys sake that he had a good reason for the way he talked to the young Malfoy. He was worried that Harry just let his mouth run. He was extremely glad that they were almost out of the publics view, because it looked like Harry was about ready to crack and he did not want that to happen in public.

Instead of going to one of the many tills, Harry went to the head of the goblin security force, whispered a few words in his ear. Moments later, the four wizards were escorted to a private room to await the banking officials to come to them.

As soon as the door was closed, Snape let loose his temper. "How Dare You talk to my Godson like that. Without his help, you would still be with those so called reletives of yours. You ungrateful, arrogant idiot..." Was about as far as Damean was allowing him to get. Harry having seen the Potions Master coming towards him had placed himself behind Gidean and buried his head in the older man's back.

"Severus, look at him. If you keep yelling at Harry like this, he's never going to trust you again. Give him the chance to explain." The Dane commanded.

Snape took one look at the damage he had done and instantly regreated it. "Damn, Harry I'm sorry. What in the world possesed you to get in an insulting match with Draco?"

"I wasn't." Came the timid reply.

"Then what were you doing?"

Coming out from behind Gidean, Harry looked at Snape. "Malfoy wants help to escape the nightmare. I told him to meet us at the twins flat to discuss getting him out. Since the twins won't belive I sent Malfoy their way, he needed the password." Ducking his head shyly "The password was set by me for the twins in case something happened, without it, no one gets into the main rooms."

"Are you telling me that everything the two of you said was code?"

Harry's head came up with a snap. "Are you telling me that you didn't notice that Malfoy and I haven't been fighting lately? Just what kind of spy are you Professor?" He snarled.

Before the two of them could start arguing, the door was opened and two goblins entered. Instantly, both sets of masks came back into view.

"Mr. Potter. This is Stonehand. He's the goblin your parents hired to look after your intrests. As of this morning, I turned your key over to him. It has been a pleasure to watch over your accounts for the past year." Griphook gave Harry a small bow and withdrew from the room.

Stonehand studied each of the men in the room. His mind automatically registered the fact that two of the four were true blooded vampires, one carried a very small amount of a true blood vampire strain, probablty only enough to effect grace and voice. Then there was Harry Potter, who was everything he was told to expect and at the same time, so much more.

But that mystery could wait. He had business to attend to.

"Mr. Potter, I will be happy to go over your accounts and take care of any business you may have but first I have been charged with a matter by your late parents that needs to be taken care of, for it may complicate anything that you need done." Stonehand begain.

"Of course Stonehand. If what you need to take care of is that important, we would be happy to wait." Harry said, hiding his frustration behind yet another mask.

"Oh no, Mr. Potter. I won't be keeping you waiting. I was instructed by your parents to give Professor Snape a letter. Until the time that he reads it, your accounts have been put on hold." Stonehand explained, while handing a sealed scroll to the professor.

Snape broke the seal on the scroll and for a few minutes the room was silent. When he was done, he shook his head and begain to read the scroll once more, slowly. After coming to the same conclusion the second time around, he once more returned to the top but this time, he read it out loud.

Snape.

I know this letter will come as a surprise to you but under the circumstances, Lily and I really didn't know who we could trust with the life of our son. Hell, I'm still not sure if I can trust you, although Lily has repeatly told me that I can and after listening to her arguments, I was forced to agree.

If things turn out for the worst, we are dead. Siris is either dead or in Azkaban. Remus, because of what he is, is unfit and Peter, is either dead or a traitor. Which means that Harry will be taken to Lily's sister and her family(horrible muggles by the way, just to let you know) by Dumbledore, who will not honour our last requests that he not be left in their care no matter what happens.

Which leaves us with only you to trust. This letter will only be delivered the day that Harry loses complete trust in Dumbledore and lets him know so.

Lily and I would have liked to have asked you formally to except complete custody and guardianship of Harry, but circumstances being what they are that is just not possible. Thus this letter. Harry needs someone in his life that he can trust and will look after his best intrests. Not just until his 17th birthday but for much longer. For his sake, we ask you to look after his interests until his 21st birthday. At that time, another letter will be delivered to you.

We ask this because Harry is going to need someone strong in his life to both protect and teach him. We beg of you Severus, to put the past behind you, even if you don't accept custody, to at least teach him everything that you know.

The goblins have all the paper work needed to formalize the transfer of guardianship. If that is the way you do decide to go. Please Severus. Harry needs you.

James H. Potter.

Snape looked up from the letter to meet the gaze of Stonehand. "Where is the paperwork?"

To say that Stonehand was shocked would be an understatement. He was fully ready to have to convince the man in front of him to accept the responsibility of caring for the last of the Potter Line. To see him agree without any hesitation though, was not what he was expecting. Snapping out of his state of shock, Stonehand opened up the folder he carried and handed a set of papers to the Potions Master. "You need to sign all three pages and since these are forgery protected, you need to add three drops of your blood on the seal at the bottom of the last page."

Snape took the papers and after looking through all of them to make sure everything was inline. He glanced up at Harry to make sure this was what he truly wanted. Harry understood the look and gave a small nod of acceptence of the terms laid out by his parents. He watched as one by one, Severus Snape signed all the legal papers and then with the tip of his wand, pulled three drops of blood out of the tip of his finger,let them fall on the seal and watched as it glowed blue, identifying that it was indeed the Potions Master who signed the papers.

"Thank you professor. How would you like us to deal with young Harry's accounts?"

"Nothing is to change at the moment Stonehand until I have time to go over everything with Mr. Potter. I will let you know when we both have the time to go over the accounts together."

"Very well." Turning to Harry he asked. "Now that, that is settled. What business do you have with us today Mr. Potter?"

Harry grinned at the goblin. "Actually Stonehand, the moment you handed that scroll to Professor Snape, my main business was complete. We had come in to see if my parents left anything here on who they wanted as my guardian if anything had happened to my godfather. Other then that, I just needed to pull some money from my vault to do my regualar summer shopping before school starts."

"Ah. Well if it helps any, all you need to do is sign for anything you buy and the storekeepers will send the bills here." Stonehand told him.

"Thank you Stonehand. I believe that unless the Professor has anything else that needs to be done here, we are done for the moment."

Stonehand looked towards the Professor and seeing him shake his head, bowed and took his leave.

After Stonehand left, Snaped looked at Harry. "Would you like to finish explaining to me what happened between you and Draco?"

"Can I show you instead Sir? It would be easier in the long run."

"Of course Mr. Potter. By all means, lead the way. I would love to see what you and my godson are planning." Sarcasm dripped from his tongue.

Sighing, Harry turned and left the room and quickly left the bank, knowing that the other three followed behind. Moving quickly, Harry worked his way through the crowds in The Alley, toward the twins joke shop. Instead of going in the front door, he turned and made his way to the back of the building. When the other three caught up to him, he muttered the password and let them all into the back room. As soon as the door closed behind them, the room lit up and they could all see both twins waiting for Harry.

"Hello Harry. It's great to see you again." one started.

"It would be better if we knew why you sent the Malfoys to us though." the other finished.

Harry's eyes went wide in shock. "What do you mean The Malfoys are here? I only sent Draco." Harry's gaze narrowed in anger, the twins knowing that look all to well, pointed Harry up the stairs while moving out of his way. Nodding his head in thanks, Harry looked at the others. "Your welcome to follow me but I'm warning you now. Don't Get In My Way. I have a ferret to kill." With that, he started up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and barely stopping to open the door at the top.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven.

Harry stormed into the apartment above the twins shop, slamming the door against the wall and catching it as it bounced back. Angry energy crackled and swirled like a storm with miniature lightening flashing around him. Harry was not pleased with this new development and had no problems with letting those in the room know. His eyes swiped around the room, glowing with the light of the killing curse before coming to a stop at Draco.

"Draconian Tristan Malfoy. Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't hex you into next month? Please explain to me why you didn't let me know that you had your parents with you." he growled at the blonde.

Draco tried to meet that gaze, but couldn't. His already pale features going even paler at the pure fury in Harry's eyes. "I didn't know how to explain to you that we all needed help during that confrontation. It was bad enough that I had to start insulting you in public. All I could do was hope that I wouldn't be cursed by you or those around you. Of course, there was the fact that I had no idea if I could manage to explain to you just what exactly I needed in the first place." He tried to explain.

Harry just sneered at him, "That's funny, really it is. I had absolutly no problem giving you the information you needed to get in here. In fact, I can distinctly remember giving you the password."

Draco's eyes snapped up to finally meet Harry's. "You didn't have to worry about any Death Eaters in the crowd watching your every move." He snapped back.

"No Draco, I just had to worry about Death Eaters trying to get their hands on my guardian. Never mind trying to kidnap me in the process. Just what do you think could have happened if one of them tried something on us while everyone else was focused on you?" Harry asked, contempt lacing his voice.

Harry was going to continue to give Draco a verbal beating but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, his magic instantly grounded itself again. Looking behind him, he could clearly see the worry in two sets of eyes and the anger in the third. Harry's anger drained out of him as he turned back to study the blonde before him. Noticing the way Draco shifted slightly and then winced before standing still once more as if he was afraid to move brought another realization to him.

"Strip Dray. I want to see what that bastard did to you. Why didn't you tell me before that you were hurt?" Harry demanded.

Lucius Malfoy finally gathered his wits about him. "Mr. Potter. I don't see where you get off telling my son what to do..." He started, only to stop when a hand was raised in his direction.

Harry turned his attention to the elder Malfoy, once more a sneer crossed his face. "I don't believe I was talking you now was I? In fact, I clearly remember not saying one word to you. So if you would like to do me a real big favor and keep your opinion to yourself until I'm ready to hear them, I would greatly appreciate it" He turned back to Draco and gave him a pointed look. "Well..." was all he said.

Draco gave in to his own anger. "If you wouldn't have cut of the bond, I wouldn't have to tell you now would I. You would have figured it out on your own. But no, you decided it was better to cut us off." He sneered

"I did not cut the bond. I'm not a total idiot." Harry said, his anger returning. "I knew that if I did that, you and the others would have thought I was dead, then the three of you would have done something really stupid yourself. Hell, I went through that pain myself and trust me it's not easy to get over. I only surpressed the bond enough so you and the others wouldn't feel my pain. Pain I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"The bond is there to tell us when you need us and when we need you. Merlin Harry, how could you even think to shut us out especially when you were in real danger. If we hadn't pulled you out of that hellhole when we did, you wouldn't even be standing here today."

"Believe me Dray, I know what you did for me and I'm grateful. But you really don't want to feel what I'm still feeling at the moment. You wouldn't be able to handle it, trust me on this."

"Try me Harry. Open up the bond and try me. I'm not as weak as you think I am"

Harry shut his eyes and shoke his head. "It never even crossed my mind that you are weak, I know that you're not. I can't open the bond Dray. I can't put you and the others through that. You have to understand."

Draco walked over and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "you can't decide that for us Harry. You have to let us make that decision, we deserve that much from you." He said softly before pulling Harry into a hug.

Nodding his head, Harry rested his head on the shoulder of the taller teen, giving in. "Not without the others" he whispered. "I cannot put them through this without them knowing why." He gave a sigh of relief when he felt Draco nod his head in understanding.

The moment was lost when he heard the sneering voice of one Lucius Malfoy. "If the two of you would be kind enough to tell the rest of us what the hell is going on, we would greatly apprecitate it."

Which was closely followed by Snape. "Mr. Potter, I find myself having to agree with Lucius. I personally have a desire to know when exactly the two of you became lovers."

The two teens shot apart. "Lovers?" looking at each other they started to laugh. Draco calmed down enough to form a reply "I'm sorry Uncle Sev. Harry and I are defintely not lovers. I don't go for guys. Harry, on the other hand does. But blondes are not his type." Draco had to move fast to avoid being slapped by Harry. "What? It's the truth Harry and you know it. The three of us know that you prefer older..." was as far as he got.

"Shut up Dray or I'll make sure you never have children. Do you understand me?"

"Sorry Harry." He said, the smile on his face saying he wasn't sorry at all.

Heaving a sigh, Harry turned his attention to the twins while ignoring the looks he was getting from his professor. "Fred, can you please go to The Burrow for me? I'm going to need Ron and Hermoine. I'm not sure if Dumbledore will still be there but if he is, tell them that you found a family of snakes that would be perfect for my birthday present and you need their opinion before you buy them. Also tell them that you're going to need the snake kit they have to transport them. They'll understand. If he isn't there, give my love to mum and dad. Invite them to join us for breakfast here tomorrow. George, I'm afraid I'm going to need you to raid your joke shop in order to disguise these three. Be creative. The less they look like themselves the better."

Harry watched as Fred left immediately for The Burrow while George with a huge grin on his face, gave Harry a short bow and left for the storeroom. Knowing what was coming, Harry once agian faced his guardian.

"Expain." Snape snapped.

"Which part?"

"Lets start with the bond the two of you were talking about and just who the hell the 'others' are. Then continue with how you knew Draco was hurt."

"Fine. As long as you add Dray's parents into the catagory of being hurt. Which in this case, is just simple observation skills. I believe I learned those skills from you last year. Mr. & Mrs Malfoy are both holding themselves wrong as is Draco but are doing their best to hide the pain. It's as simple as that. As for the blood bond, well lets just say that at the begining of last year, Dray came to me for help. He didn't trust Dumbledore, not that I blame him on that account and I'm pretty sure he didn't know that you where a spy at the time. I sent Hermoine down to the library and she found a bond that allowed us to become siblings instead. We all agreed to the bond as long as no one found out about it. The golden Trio added a secret member to the group. The bond was completed between the four of us, we have the bond marks to prove it, depending on what kind of danger and/or help we need they either heat up or cool down completely. Dray's pissed off at the moment because the bond is supposed to tell us when another is in pain and is in need of help. I blocked off my end, not unlike what you did except I was unable to break it completely not that I would even think about it, even if there was a way for me to do so. I think that about covers everything, or at least all I plan on explaining at the moment. The rest can wait for until the others get here." Harry told him

Harry, completely ignored the shock that was evident on everyone in the room and the shame that he knew would be in Snape's eyes, though he knew it would also be well hidden. As he turned back to Draco, he gave the blonde a knowing look. "Draco, I know you don't want to show me but unless you want me to remove all of your clothes myself, I suggest you take your shirt and pants off on your own so I can see the damage. I'll do a diagnostic charm to check for external injuries but I'm going to need to see everything on the outside. It's your choice but I can tell you right now, you will not like it if I have to do it."

Draco searched Harry's eyes to see just how serious Harry was being. What he found there convinced him that he indeed did not want Harry to do it. He needed to do everything possible to keep Harry on his good side at the moment. Complying with the orders given, despite the glare he was receiving from his father, he proceeded to remove his shirt, then his pants, leaving him in nothing but his boxers before once more meeting the anger that he knew without a doubt would be in Harry's eyes.

Harry was indeed angry over what he saw. The pale flesh was covered in angry red whip marks. Most of which still slowly dripped blood. He was just collecting his bearings before he started ranting about killing the mad man who dared to touch his brother when the floo activated and spit out the rest of the Golden Trio along with Fred. Harry watched as both Ron and Hermione took in the damage done to Draco and then he proceeded to convince Ron that he could not go and take on The Dark Lord on his own.

"Ron! Enough! It's not going to help Draco now. You know as well as i do that Riddle does what he wants and kills anyone who gets in his way" Harry tried to reason. When Ron would not listen, he threw a desperate glance over his shoulder to Snape asking silently for help.

"Mr. Weasley", came the quite hiss. "Stop this idiotic behavior immediately before I make you stop." Snape's words did more to stop the red head then anything else anyone could have said or done.

Coming back to himself, Ron took in the paleness on Harry's face and knew what his anger made Harry remember. "Sorry Mate." he whispered.

"It's alright Ron. I've already faced down Dray, one more bro isn't going to bother me at the moment. It's the reaction I'm going to be facing in a few minutes when you find out what's going on that worries me." Harry told him with a smile.

Hermione watched the two interact and then took in the damage to her brother. Seeing Draco's parents holding back their own pain let her know one of the reasons why Harry wanted them there. Reaching for the snake kit sitting beside her, she handed it to Harry and waited for him to open it. "You know Harry, I don't know why you don't have an English password for this, it would make it much easier for us to get into it when you can't give it."

"Hermione, if it ever came to that, three drops of my blood will open it for you. That and Professor Snape has a password for it" Harry told her after he opened the box.

"Fine. Tell us what you want done, then we can sit and discuss this lack of you we have in the bond." A look of disapproval in her eyes.

"That's the other reason why I asked you here" Harry said with a wince. "Has Dumbledore been to see you yet?" He asked, changing the subject.

Sighing, Hermione just nodded her head. Knowing that until he was ready, Harry would not say anything else. "What do you want us to do Harry?"

"For now, lets just do a general healing on the three of them. I've found no real external damage to Draco that will cause problems if not healed right away. I'll check over his parents just to make sure about them. The blue potions should be all that's really needed though." Harry told her and watched as she took a healing potion and handed it to Ron with a nod of her head towards Draco to indicate that he should heal their brother before taking one for herself. She looked at Harry with a grim smile. "I'll let you deal with Mr. Malfoy. I think you'll have better luck with him then I will have.

Hermoine walked over to Mrs. Malfoy and gave her a small smile. "Mrs. Malfoy, I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. I'll see what I can do to heal most of your injuries. Harry will go over your internal injuries later to make sure you are in no danger" she said, while leading the older woman away from the room.

Harry returned her smile, then turned to Mr. Malfoy. Narrowing his eyes as he took in the elder Malfoy. "Mr. Malfoy, I know that all of our meetings before now have not been pleasant. I assure you that I mean you no harm, I just want to make sure you are healed properly. But if you insist on fighting with me over this, I will make sure the next hour of your life will be a living hell. Now if you please, remove your shirt so I can see just what your injuries are."

Lucius Malfoy only gave Harry a cold look "Since you are still underage and therefore unable to preform magic outside of school, I don't see how you will be able to force me to do anything" he sneered.

Before Harry could reply, a hand was placed on his shoulder effectively keeping him silent. Instead, Snape answered for him.

"Luc, Harry doesn't need to use his wand to get you to do as he wants. There are three others here that can make you do it. I'm sure my uncle and cousin will have no troubles helping him, as his guardian, I myself would be obliged to help him as well. That's only if he wants us to though. He's managed to train his raw power to the point that he can do almost anything wandless."

Shock took the place of contempt in the eyes of the elder Malfoy for an instant, before the sneer was firmly back in place. "Then why didn't he use wandless magic on his relatives or could it be that he enjoyed what happened to him."

Harry saw red. The blind panic he felt at first was replaced by pure rage. "For your information Mr. Malfoy, wandless magic does not work without will power. It's really hard to focus when your in the midst of a Voldemort induced vision watching someone you care for being tortured, feeling the results of said torture yourself. Now if you don't mind, remove your shirt. This is your last warning."

Lucius just stared at him refusing to move. Harry's patience snapped. With a flick of his hand, he removed all the clothing on the man before him other than his undergarments. With another flick of his wrist, he had him in a full body bind.

"I warned you sir. The easy way or the hard way, you chose the hard way. Now you have no choice but to hold still while I check you over."

Ignoring the glare being sent his way by the blonde aristocrat, Harry placed his hand above Lucius heart and sent his power out. Coming back out of his self induced trance, he met grey eyes and smiled. "You'll be happy to know Sir, that there is no internal damage. If you give your word not to do anything stupid, I'll release you into Professor Snape's care. All you need to do is blink your eyes once to agree with me."

Seeing the blink of agreement, Harry waited until his professor was standing in front of Mr. Malfoy before releasing him. He then turned his attention over to his bond brother. Before he could move to make sure he was all right, Hermoine called him into the other room.

"Harry, could you please come and check my results on Mrs. Malfoy. I think I know what's wrong with her but I want you to make sure. If it is what I think it is, I'm not even sure if you will be able to remove the damage" she said in a near whisper.

"I hate it when you talk in riddles 'Moine, really I do. I'll check her over and see what I can do. While I do that, can you please go help Ron? Also, please make sure that Mr. Malfoy is doing what he's been told and not giving Professor Snape too many problems."

"Of course Harry" Hermione answered with a smile. "Though I don't think even Mr. Malfoy will stand a chance against Professor Snape."

"Too true. I rather be on the safe side with this. If he's anything like Dray, Merlin knows he'll be putting up one hell of a fight" Harry said with a grin.

After watching Hermione leave to check on the Malfoy men, he turned to face a nervous Mrs. Malfoy. "Ma'am, do you know what Hermione was talking about? And if you do, will you be willing to tell me? It's easier that way for both of us." He asked her with a friendly smile.

Nodding her head, Mrs. Malfoy dropped her eyes and took a deep breath to brace herself. "When Draco was a few months old, The Dark Lord hit me with an old and very rare curse. The nature of the curse was to make sure that I was never able to have any more children. He figured that as long as Draco was the only heir we had, it insured that we would do anything to keep him safe which in this case, meant doing everything that sadistic bastard said. We've both researched the curse and have never found anything on it. There is nothing for you to do."

Harry's eyes flashed killer green before he made a visible effort to rein in his temper. "May I look anyway? You never know, if it's a curse, I may be able to reverse the effects. Especially if the curse was done in parseltongue."

A glimmer of hope flickered to life in her blue eyes as she nodded her permission. "If the curse was written in parseltongue, it would explain why neither of us found anything on it." She murmured.

Harry smiled before carefully placed both hands on her stomach and allowed his magic to flow into her. A few minutes passed before he withdrew once again. "Mrs. Malfoy, I'm not going to lie to you. There is a good chance that this won't work, but I'm willing to give it a try anyway. I can promise you though, that if this fails to work you will have no side effects other then feeling lighter as I sweep away any other curse damage. Are you still willing to try?"

Mrs. Malfoy studied his eyes looking for something that would tell her what to do. A few minutes later, she took another deep breath before giving the answer Harry was waiting for. "What do you want me to do Mr. Potter? I will do my best to accommodate you."

Smiling, Harry held her gaze. "All you need to do is trust me. Well that and to join your loved ones in the living room, relax on the sofa. I will do the rest." Holding out his hand, he waited for her to make the final choice in trusting him when she grasped his hand, Harry's eyes lit up even more. Helping her to her feet, Harry led her back into the living room and settled her on the sofa.

Kneeling down on the floor beside her, Harry started to talk softly, explaining just what exactly he was doing and what he needed her to do. "Ma'am, the healing I would like to do for you is far more personal then normal. You need to let me past all of your mental walls and go down into your magical core. It's the only way I can remove any and all curse damage. The easiest way for this to work is for you to meditate; that is also the safest way for me. Otherwise, when I try to access your magical core, your magic will fight mine and trust me when I say that a magical fight between cores is something I'll not wish on anyone." Harry stopped talking long enough and took a deep breath and gave her a sly smile. He had something else he want to try but in order for that to work, he needed her complete cooperation. "Mrs. Malfoy , I can also, if you wish try to remove any other dark magic from your person." Harry said carefully, hoping that she would understand.

Harry watched her eyes as Mrs. Malfoy processed everything he said. He saw a mirage of different emotions cross her eyes before a frown appeared, he swore he could hear her repeat his last sentence over again. When she figured out his reference to the dark mark, hope become the dominate emotion. Her eyes as she smiled at him "Mr. Potter, I understand what you are trying to tell me. Even if you cannot do everything you say, I still greatly appreciate that you are willing to try. Because of what you are willing to do for me, I would like to drop the formalities and ask that you to call me Narcissa. I believe that will be easier in the long run, considering the fact that you are now Draco's brother, and therefore you are technically my son."

Harry have her a huge smile before replying. "Then Narcissa, I must insist that you call me Harry. You do me a great honor by accepting the bond between Draco and myself. I hope you are willing to extend that honor to Ron and Hermione also. Now, before we start to see just how badly we can piss of Tom, I need to check on the rest of your family. Please start to meditate. It will be much easier for both of us in the long run." Harry gave her one more bright smile before joining the older wizards across the room.

Staying close to Snape, Harry prepared himself to once again face down one very pissed off Malfoy. "How are you feeling now Mr. Malfoy?" he asked politely.

"I am fine. I was fine before you got it into your stupid head to force me to do something I did not want to do. Now before I make you regret being alive boy, I suggest you tell me what you did to my wife!" The voice was cold and clipped but what caught Harry's attention was the eyes. They were a swirling maelstrom of fury and cold as a winters blizzard.

Harry took an involuntary step backwards and landed against Snape's chest, his legs no longer willing to hold him up. As arms came up around his body pulling him closer, he heard gentle words of comfort whispered in his ears to combat the harshness from Mr. Malfoy. Harry made himself take a deep breath in order to force back the image of his uncle that popped into his mind while soaking up the warmth and comfort being offered to him by his guardian.

Willing his legs steady, Harry took the step forward needed to tell Snape that he was fine. Almost instantly regretted it when the arms holding him up fell away. Instead of stepping back again, he mentally shook those thoughts from his mind and he forced himself to look in those cold grey eyes and respond. "Mr. Malfoy, I have as of yet done nothing to your wife. I do plan on healing the damage your master inflicted on her about 17 years ago. What you will be doing while I attempt to heal the curse damage to her is to stay out of my way and remain absolutely quiet. Do you understand me?"

"I do not take orders from you boy and I don't need you telling me what I can and cannot do. Besides which, the damage you are talking about cannot be healed."

"My name is Harry . It would be to your advantage to remember that. As for the healing, I won't know for sure until I try. If you cannot do as I ask, I will have someone do it for you. Once again, I ask do you understand me?" Harry asked him as calmly as he could.

"If you can do as you say you can, I will do my best to remain out of your way. But if you so much as hurt a hair her in anyway shape or form, you will regret this day for the rest of your life." Mr. Malfoy warned

"I won't hurt her. What I plan on doing will not harm her in anyway. This I promise you" Harry told him, truth evident in every word he spoke. Turning his back on the blonde, Harry looked to Damean. "Sir, I know you have given your help to me in more ways than one but If you would help me once more by making sure Mr. Malfoy keeps his promise to stay out of my way, by any means necessary, I would greatly appreciate it. I don't even want to think about what could happen if I'm disturbed while I'm in a healing trance."

"Of course young one. We will make sure he stays out of your way. Is there anything else we can do to help?" Damean asked

"The only thing I can think of at the moment is if you would be ready to catch any of us as we come out of the link. We will all be totally drained if I succeed"

"That we can do with pleasure. Be safe Harry."

Harry gave Damean a cheeky grin. "Me sir. I always do my best to remain safe. It's not my fault that circumstances always manage to blow up in my face."

"I'll keep that in mind when I start your training. Until then, don't do anything stupid." Damean laughed.

"Yes my Lord." Harry said with a bow. Taking a half step back to place himself in contact with his guardian, Harry asked "Professor, I would like your help in this. Can you please join me with my siblings on the other side of the room?"

"Of course Mr. Potter. I would be happy to help you."

"Would it be possible for you to stop calling me by my last name. It makes me think you still see my father instead of me." Harry asked in an experated tone.

"The moment you stop calling me 'Sir' or 'Professor', I will stop calling you Mr. Potter. There is no need for that when I'm not giving you lessons. Trust me when I say that I no longer see your father when I look at you. I haven't seen him in you for a long time."

Harry's smile lit up the whole room. "Thank you Severus. Shall we go?"

Giving the teen a mock bow, Severus replied "Of course Harry. After you."

Missing the looks between the three older wizards and the twins, Harry and Severus walked over to join the trio on the other side of the room. Ron and Hermione were just finishing treating the last of Draco's injuries when they arrived. Seeing the concern in Draco's eyes, Harry set out to banish the look. "She'll be fine Dray, honestly. I only found some old curse damage that with all of us working together will be real easy to fix." Harry told him. And waited for the others to read what he had not said.

It was no surprise when Hermione eyes lit with surprise. "You want us all to link together so that you have all the power you need to do the job don't you?"

Draco cut off any reply Harry could make. "If the four of us all link our power, it will give you more then enough to heal her. When we do this, we have the strength to pretty much bring back the dead. What else do you plan to do?"

Once more, Harry was stopped from replying when Ron added his comment. "I really believe that we should discuss your blocking the link first Harry. If you're planning what I think you are, you need to open up to us completely. After all, linking our power is a matter of trust." He said thoughtfully.

Harry winced at the reminder. "I honestly hoped none of you would bring that up. It is possible for me to let you in without taking off the pain blockers I created." He said.

"No Harry, Ron is right. Lets get this done first. Then you'll have your full power when we go to heal Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione told him.

"As you wish. Dray, please let your mother know that we have something else to take care of first. Hermione, please check the snake kit to see if there will be enough pain potion for the three of you. Then the three of you better make yourself comfortable on the floor. This way, you won't have as far to fall" Harry told them and watched as they did as he asked.

Severus watched in concern as Harry massaged his temples. "Is there anything I can do to help Harry." He asked as he wrapped the teen in a hug.

"No Sev. I really don't want to put them through this but they are forcing the issue. They don't deserve the pain they'll be in." Harry said as he dropped his head against Severus's chest.

The others in the room watched the pair with varying degrees of amazement. Everyone but Damean and Gidean that is. They understood that Severus was providing the reassurance that his new ward needed. Or at least, that was what they wanted to believe.

Narcissa was the first to break the silence. "Is there something the two of you would like to explain to the rest of us?" She asked with an arched eyebrow."

"Bloody mother hen" Harry cursed under his breath as Severus laughed before he reluctantly broke the embrace. "It's not what you think Narcissa" Sev told her. "I was made Harry's guardian earlier today, at the moment he needs a little reassurance."

"If you say so" she smirked.

Harry decided it was best to change the subject. He really did not want to think about the other possibilities at the moment. "If the three of you are ready, we should get this done." He asked.

Receiving nods of agreement, he watched as Ron, Hermione and Draco found spots on the floor. Taking a deep breath, he opened up the bond and was not surprised when all three started writhing in pain. After a few minutes, he closed it off again and handed out pain potion to them.

"Merlin Harry! How can you handle that much pain?" Ron asked after the potion did it's work.

"I'm used to it Ron. Do you understand now why I didn't keep the bond open?"

"Yeah Mate. I just hope you feel better soon."

"I should be back to normal in about a week" Harry replied. "Are you ready to form the link?"

Hermione and Draco just looked at him in amazement. "Don't you think we can wait to do this until your no longer in pain?" Draco finally managed to spit out.

"Why? I told you t doesn't bother me. I've lived with pain all my life. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can work on finding a way to kill Riddle."

"Harry Mate. Do you honestly believe that the four of us will have enough power to remove the dark mark. That is what you are planning correct." Ron asked him

"No Ron. I don't expect the four of us to be able to remove the mark itself. I do expect the five of us to have enough strength to follow the connection and see what needs to be done to break the link. If nothing else, I hope to find a way to counter act the effects of the mark and with enough study, find a way to remove it at a later date. Harry said into the silence.

(What for it... you know it's coming...just wait for it.)

"WHAT?"

(Ahhh. I love it when I'm right.)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight.

Pandemonium broke out. It sounded like everyone was talking at once. Some in confusion, some in fear and some in anger. Harry's hands slapped up to cover his ears in a vain attempt to block out the yelling. He should have known that it wouldn't have work to block out the noise. Those who knew the signs would have noticed the beginning of a flashback

Mr. Malfoy stood in shock for a moment before he strode across the room to where Harry was standing, his anger pouring off of him and grabbed Harry vicously by the shoulder and yanked Harry around to face him to give the teen a piece of his mind.

Harry's reaction startled everyone into shocked silence.

A glazed look came across his eyes, and he tried to stop the older man from seeing him shudder, while  
doing his best not to cringe in fear. "Please Uncle Vernon, please don't. I didn't do it honest. Please  
don't touch me. I promise it won't happen again. Please I'm sorry." he whimpered

Mr. Malfoy released him, and with a look of horror on his face took a few steps back. As soon as he did, Harry dropped to the floor and curled up in a ball, protecting his vital organs from the abuse he knew was to follow. Even though he knew nothing he did would protect him in the end. When he sensed someone kneeling beside him, he feared the worse and scrambled away from the unknown figure. A low moan escaped his throat when he felt a wall behind him, blocking his escape, but he cut it of abruptly. Instead he once more tried to curl himself into a small ball, and wrapped one of his arms around his knees and the other around his head in a vain attempt to also protect his head along with his other vital organs. Wishing that his protector followed him into the muggle world also.

Out of everyone in the room, Ron and Hermione were the only ones who didn't react with shock. Instead they glanced at each other and Hermione gave Ron a small nod before she started to move the others further away from Harry. When Snape started to move towards Harry instead of away, Ron stood up to his feared professor, and blocked Snape's way to Harry's side.

"Professor Snape, I must insist that you stay away from Harry at the moment. He may trust you with his life but gathering from your expression, you never had to deal with one of his flashbacks. Please leave Hermione and I to deal with it. It's not the first time we have had to help him come back to himself. If what we do doesn't help, we'll ask you for your help." Ron watched the gleaming eyes of his professor for a moment, and satisfied with what he saw moved to kneel next to Harry, getting as close as he could without actually touching him. When Harry scrambled away from him with a small moan of fright, Ron followed, staying far enough away not to startle harry again. He feared the worst. Harry had never reacted this bad before.

Hermione followed and after a moment to study the smaller boy, she sighed and gave a sad shake of her head. In a soft voice she confirmed Rons' fears. "I know you're going to have to try and talk him out. But I'm pretty sure it's not going to work this time. He's to far gone for sight and touch, but I know your still going to try. I'll try reciting potions to him, but I'm also sure that won't work either. We'll have to try smell. I just don't know what smell will work on him, but I don't think we are going to get him back otherwise, at least not anytime soon."

Ron nodded his head without looking at her, "That's what I was hoping you wouldn't' say. You had best  
explain to the others what's going on."

Hermione nodded in agreement and walked back to the others. "As much as I hate having to tell you any of this without Harry's permission, It's for the best. Ron's right, we are the only ones who know what's going on and what to do about it, even Draco has never seen him like this before. His dorm mates along with anyone else who has found out in Gryffindor have kept this secret, and they don't know the full story either." Taking a deep breath Hermione forced herself to tell some of what she knew about the nightmares. "For the first few months back at school, it's normal for us to have to do this. In fact it's almost nightly that Ron needs to talk him out of a flashback and back to himself. After that it happens maybe twice a month. It's usually only after Harry's had a really bad day." Giving her professor a sad look she continued. "I'm sorry to say professor, but it's usually after your class that he's the worst even though it is rare for him to go this far back into his mind. This summer must have been really bad." She said sadly before allowing her attention to return to Ron and Harry.

Complete silence ruled in the room, as everyone watched as Ron tried to bring Harry back to himself.  
After 15 minutes he sighed and with a shake of his head backed away from Harry and the look on his face told the others that he failed. Hermione reached into her bag and took out one of her ever present text books and gave a small smile to Snape when he noticed that it was her potions book. Snape raised an eyebrow at the irony of said book which she met with a shake of her head. "At least theres no way he can confuse this for anything in the muggle world." she said with a small sigh, before joining Harry on the floor in the corner.

The only sound for the next few minutes was the gentle murmur as the young witch read from the book, knowing in her heart that it would not work but having to try anyway. Finally giving up, she also left Harry's side and curled up next to Ron on the sofa and rested her head on his shoulder. Draco joined them and placed his arms around her waist while laying his head against her back, trying to give her what little comfort that he could, as he also took comfort from the contact.

"Now what 'Moine? I've never seen him like this." Draco said in a small voice.

"Now we try scent. Hopefully that will work. If it doesn't we'll have to shock him out somehow." She  
replied softly.

The three teens sat in silence for a few minutes thinking about what scent would be best to pull him  
back to the land of the living, while the adults looked at them with different degrees of shock. None  
of the adults in the room that knew the teens could believe that the three on the couch used to be arch  
enemies. Fred and George took one look at them, and came to a silent decision. If the Golden Trio could except Draco as family they could do the same thing. Joining the trio on the couch they also did their best to offer comfort

Finally Draco looked up with a small smile on his face. "Tell me the one person Harry trusts without  
question, who always has a unique smell around them." He asked the others.

Ron's eyes lit up. "of course. Harry's trusted him since first year. May not have liked him much at  
first but always trusted him. Especially after that one quidditch match."

"Ever notice how extremely angry Harry could be or at the end of his rope, and then suddenly relax? I asked him about it once, he told me the scent proceeding this person let him know that he was safe, and helped him focus once again, although I also think that Harry can pick out his aura also." Hermione added.

"He never did join in with the rest of us."

"In bad mouthing him"

"unless he was in a bad mood."

"which wasn't often."

George and Fred said while smiling. As they also joined in the conversation, picking up on what the  
rest where saying. "will it work?" they asked as one.

"Won't know until we try. The other option is shocking him out of it, which could have the effect of  
making him worse." Hermione told them

All five by this time had huge grins on their faces, much to the annoyance of the adults who did not pick up on what they where saying. As one the five of them all turned and pinned Snape with hopeful looks. Draco though was the one to ask the question. "Uncle Sev, would it possible for us to borrow your cloak? We really think it will help pull Harry out of his mind." he said hopefully.

Snape looked at them and reached to undo the clasp of his cloak. "I really don't know if this will help.  
But I'm willing to try. But I'm telling you now, I think the bunch of you are crazy to believe this."

Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and took the offered cloak. "You must not have been paying  
attention when we explained it." was all she said to him. Walking slowly over to where Harry still cowered in the corner, she gently placed it around his shoulders, and quickly stepped back at his whimper of fear.

The group watched in silence once more as the waited for Harry to react one way or another. As the minutes slipped by so did the hope the teens where feeling. A discussion among the adults had just started when Snape saw one of Harry's hands reach out and clutch the cloak tighter around himself. Hissing out at the others to be silent, Snape made his way to Harry's side, and settled an arms length away before gently calling Harry's name.

Harry tensed his muscles when he felt someone approach him, but the smell that surrounded him reassured him that he was safe. Glancing up from beneath the cover of his eyelashes he saw Snape approach. His head came up all the way when he heard Snape call his name. "S..Sev?" He stuttered. "Oh Merlin, I don't understand Sev. Why did he do that to me, what did I do wrong? Why did he hate me so much? Am I really an ugly unlovable freak like he claims?" He sobbed while pulling the cloak tighter around himself for comfort.

Severus slowly pulled Harry into a loose hug, waiting for the flinch that would tell him to back off once  
more. When it didn't come, he pulled the teen into his lap, offering comfort where he could. He made a  
small note in the back of his mind when Harry did not flinch away from him the way he did everyone else. Both forgot that they where in a room full of people as Harry snuggled in as close to Sev as he possible could excepting the comfort that was being offered. "No Harry. Your not any of those things. Your an amazing young man, that brings light, love and comfort to everyone who meets you. Vernon Dursley, is nothing but a cold hearted muggle who had no idea of the honor he was being given when you landed at his front door. Everything that man has ever told you is a lie. I know for fact that my life along with the lives of many others have only been enriched just for knowing you. You have family here who would do anything to keep you from harm, and many friends who would do the same. We will all help you work through this, and make sure that you get over it. You just need to let them in." Sev whispered pulling the teen closer in order to comfort him. In his mind he finished the  
sentence, 'Just let me in to help you.'

"Will you help me? I don't think I can do it by myself any more." Harry whimpered. For once willing  
to ask for help. If only from this man.

"Of course, Harry. I will always be here for you. Just like I always have been there to protect you from  
what tries to destroy you." Sev crooned as Harry broke down in tears burrowing deeper into his embrace.

Sev knew at this point that no more words where needed, or that any words he did say would have any  
effect on the sobbing teen sitting on his lap. So he did the next best thing. Sev just held on tighter and  
rocked Harry back and forth while humming under his breath. Giving comfort just by being there, soothing the young mans overburdened soul.

A gentle touch on his shoulder startled him, and drew Severus back to the fact that they were not the only ones in the room. Looking up, onyx eyes met the bright blue of Narcissa Malfoy, who was standing next to him asking silent permission to come near the  
overstressed boy.

Severus considered this silent question for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head. Though he did not let go of his hold and waited to see what Harry's reaction would be.

Harry had sensed another aura near him, but refused to look up to see who it was. Whoever it was did not feel dangerous, but he was not worried, even if he was wrong. He knew that as long as he was with Sev, that nothing would be able to hurt him again. So when he felt another hand on his shoulder, he did his best to suppress the whimper of fear, but was unable to stop the shudder that went through his body.

Narcissa felt the shudder that went through Harry's body and her heart went out to the boy. All of her  
motherly instincts came to the surface. After all didn't she already tell him that he was family,  
through the bond he shared with Draco. "Harry my son, Severus is correct. Nothing that has happened is your fault." She started. "The blame for your uncle rests solely on his own shoulders, while the rest of the blame belongs to the Dark Lord." She explained.

Harry looked up into her blue eyes and saw only sincerity reflected back at him. "Do you really  
believe that?" he asked softly hope reflecting in his eyes before guilt clouded them over once again.   
Thoughts of his godfather running through his mind.

"I really do believe that. And before you ask I knew your godfather better then you ever did. And he would be the first to tell you the same thing. This is not your fault!" She told him firmly. "Sirius always  
acted before he thought things through. He hated not being where the action was. Especially if it meant  
sitting still while those he considered family where in trouble."

Harry's eyes once more teared over. Hearing this from a member of the Black Family was exactly what he needed to open up the flood gates on the grief that he still kept locked inside. Launching himself off of Severus's lap, and into Narcissa's arms he cried his heart out. He clung to her for a good 15 minutes just letting go of the grief he held inside for far to long. When the tears finally turned into the  
occasional whimper, Narcissa eased him away. "That's better Harry. Mourn and move on, but never forget. In the end it makes you stronger." she whispered in his ear. Feeling his nod in response, she gave him one last hug. "Do you think your able to join the rest of us for a cup of tea?" she asked, as he  
settled himself into the warmth of Severus's arms again. She was going to have to wait for her answer  
though. The moment that Harry had once more curled up on Severus's lap, he had drifted off to sleep.

Narcissa laughed softly, as she took in the sight. "I do believe Severus that, you may have lost your gruff exterior to the rest of your students in this room." She teased.

Severus made himself more comfortable against the wall cradling the teen in his arms against his chest, before leveling a glare at the shocked teens on the couch. "Yes well, I'll make sure to disabuse them of  
that notion before school starts again."

Two hours after Harry fell asleep, Snape felt him start to wake up, the tensing of muscles combined with a full body stretch that almost made harry leave the warmth he was snuggled up in. A gentle laugh coming from his pillow brought Harry's head up lazily. "How long have I been asleep?" Harry asked softly.

"A few hours. We should have known it was coming, after all you only woke up this morning from your healing sleep."

Harry nodded his head in agreement. "Those potions usually make me sleepy, unless they are the ones that we made just for me."

"Indeed. I do believe that it is time for your next set of potions any way. Hermione already brought the  
snake kit over or you."

"Okay. I think I'm going to need one of the extra strength pain potions. I've seem to have attracted an  
headache along with all of the rest."

Before Severus could reply, noise from the rest of the room brought Harry's head around. Only to find  
everyone else watching them.

To say that Harry was startled by the remembrance of the room full of people would be an understatement. Looking at the rest of the room in horror, his face went beet red in embarrassment. And he hid his face in Severus's shoulder. Ron, Hermione, and Draco snickered at his reaction, knowing full well that Harry was mortified with having an audience for one of  
his weakest moments, but loving his reaction anyway. It wasn't often anyone saw this side of Harry. He was much to in control to allow anyone to see him in a weak moment.

Harry sat for a few more minutes getting his emotions under control before shyly looking up at Severus, "Do you think it will be possible to convince the twins to make me a cup of tea? I think I'm going to need it for the argument i know is coming."

Harry smiled his thanks to Hermione who had already made him a cup of tea. If anyone thought it was odd that he was not moving from his spot on Severus's lap, no one made any comments on it.

"What argument are you planning on starting this time Harry?" Snape asked him.

"Hmm. Oh no big deal really. I just need to go shopping before supper." Harry said, keeping his eyes  
on his empty tea cup. "And I really just want to go with my friends. No one else." he added on. Knowing this would be the sticking point. He knew that Severus would not let him out without an adult.

Much to Harry's surprise, Severus just started to chuckle lightly, as he helped steady Harry when he  
stood up. "I think between your siblings and friends you should be able to manage a trip through the Alley, without any adults around. I just you to make me two promises. One. Stay out of trouble, and two. Don't buy too much. When we leave for the clan, we will not have a whole lot of space. They have very simple lives. Just keep that in mind, alright."

"I think I can manage that Severus. I never really had all that much to my name before now. Anything  
that I should or should not get? Just so I know." he asked while accepting a second cup of tea from  
Narcissa.

Damean had been following this conversation and decided to join in. "Young One, you don't need to pick up anything for school, the clan can supply you with most everything you need. Including a new wand. We will also supply you with clothing for your training." he said with a smile. "all you really  
need to pick up at the moment, is some simple robes and a few pairs of trousers and shirts."

Harry's smile was huge, but he tried to make it look innocent. "thank you." was all he managed to say.

Fred and George looked gave harry looks of anticipation. "Harry, I think we have something that  
will help you stay safe while shopping today." George said.

"And whenever else you don't want to be recognized" Fred added.

"What do the two of you have planned this time?" Harry asked.

"Oh nothing much really. We just developed a new candy just for you." harry was told.

"Cool. What do they do?" Harry's interest was peaked. If the twins said it was for him, he knew  
that it was perfectly safe. Unfortunately, Snape did not think the same thing.

Severus glared at Harry. "I do believe that your sense of trust is sorely misplaced. How can you trust  
anything these delinquents give you. In all the years I've known them they have never been serious." He said. clearly uneasy with Harry trying anything the twins give him.

"Oh please Sev. Gred and Forge wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Especially if they developed this product to help me. They know what I'm up against, they know what the prophesy says. I trust them almost as much as I trust you. The least you could do is place some of the same trust in me." Harry told him. His look half way between anger and pleading.

Severus studied Harry. He really did not want to trust the twins with Harry's life, but he had to admit  
that the twins did know what they where doing in a potions lab, even if they didn't do well in his class.  
Finally, he nodded his head at the twins, but gave them a pointed look that clearly said that he was  
holding them responsible if anything happened to Harry.

The twins had listened to Harry defend them, and were honestly amazed how easily he had changed Snapes mind. Their amazement turned to huge grins.

"Harry our," 

"Brother,"

"Our Friend,"

"Our Business Partner,"

"Your trust in us,"

"Is simply Amazing."

Harry looked at the twins and shook his head at their antics. "You know I really hate it when you do that. It's a good thing that I can tell you apart. But it's the truth, I trust you. And I know that you would do nothing to hurt me or give me anything that would get me killed." He told them, going slightly red with embarrassment.

Hermione, ever the practical one, asked the most obvious question. "Fred, George, can you please tell  
us what these new candies of yours do?

"We are so happy that you asked us that, Hermione and in defference to Harry's fine sensabilities, we will attempt to tell you with out the use of our twin speak." Fred told them, as George started to pull  
differently labeled bags out of the box.

George picked up the first bag, "Each bag of candies does a different thing. This one will change your eye color, the next your hair color, one will change your skin tone, and the last will change your voice." he explained.

"In Harry's case, the most notable feature other then that scar is his eye color. Keeping that in mind, we  
made sure that none of the eye candy would turn the eye color emerald green. but there is one that will  
do a dark, forest green as well as all the other normal colors, we were even kind enough to find away  
to mimic Professor Snape's eye color. Unfortunately, we only came up with a dark Mocha Brown, nice but not quite what we were looking for." Fred continued, tossing a grin at his former professor.

"For those of you familiar with the taste of Polyjuice, I just want to reassure you that these  
candies taste nothing like that sludge. even if the formula was based on the potion itself. And the  
results last twice as long." George told the group, laughing at the shudder that went through Ron,  
Hermione and Harry. He laughed even harder when he  
saw the look that Severus gave the three of them. Clearly saying that he expected an explanation later.

Since George was unable to finish with the explanation, Fred took over, "The only thing left to  
say is have fun. All you need to do is pick your candy. Any questions?"

Harry who had been looking over the different candy and making his selections stopped and thought for a moment. "Do you have any for hair growth?"

Fred and George exchanged looks, before shaking their heads at Harry. "We're sorry Harry, we don't have a product for that yet." Fred told him, while George left the room, and reappeared a moment later carrying a small potions vial that he handed to Snape. "We made this potion this morning so it's fresh. Did you want to check it out before we give it to him?"

Snape didn't even open the vial. He knew what it was the moment he saw it. Instead, he just handed it over to Harry who gave him a questioning look. "It's a hair growth potion. Very well made at that. It works immediately. Just take a sip and your hair grows. this way, you can control just how long you want your hair." He explained

Harry just nodded his head, before looking at looking at Draco. "You going to pick your own or do you want me to do it for you?"

"Harry, you may trust those two, but there is no way that I'm going to!" Draco told him.

"And here I thought you wanted to go shopping with us." Harry taunted.

"Harry, I love you, you're my brother. But there is no way you will be able to get me to trust those  
candies."

The adults in the room had been silent, just listening to the explanations, and then watching the interplay between Harry and Draco. Narcissa was clearly amused, and waited to see what Harry would do next. Her husband on the other hand, didn't know what to think. In the course of one afternoon, his life had changed dramatically. He knew that his life now rested in the hands of Harry Potter, who he had on occasion tried to kill, and he was not sure if his past with the teen would turn on him. Watching the two boys argue, he was reminded of himself and Severus at the same age. Looking at Severus's face, it looked like he remembered. Raising his eyebrow at Severus, he silently asked if Harry could convince his son to try the candy. Severus smirked and nodded his head, indicating that he did believe that Harry could and would convince Draco. Turning their attention back to boys, they waited for the out come.

Not noticing the silent conversation going on behind their backs, Harry just grinned at Draco, and pulled out his last argument. "Scared Malfoy?"

"You wish." Draco answered, and then realized what he just said. Throwing his hands up in the air, he  
conceded defeat and went to look over the different candies. Ron and Hermione grinned at Harry and went to join Draco.

Harry laughed outright, and took his own selection and the hair growth potion into the bathroom. He started with the hair growth potion, and took enough of it for his hair to reach midway down his back. Liking thelength but not the shaggy look, he decided it needed a woman's touch, and knew that Hermione was for once not the one for the job.

Opening the bathroom door, he called for one of his surrogate mothers. "Narcissa, I'm in need of your  
aid."

A minute later, a blond head popped around the edge of the door. "What can I help you with Harry?"

"Please come in and shut the door." When she did what he asked, he turned and met her gaze. "Do you know a way to make this mop of hair less shaggy."

Narcissa bit back a laugh. She had to agree with Harry's opinion of his hair. It did look shaggy.  
"That depends on if you plan on keeping your hair this long Harry?" When all she got in response was a nod of his head as she pulled out her wand. "Well in that case, I can even out the edges, and thin out some of the thickness. I'm warning you now though, with the natural wave in your hair, when i thin it out, it just might curl on you."

"If it curls to badly, I can always take another sip of the potion." Harry pointed out to her.

"True. the added length will drag out the curls. Ready?"

Harry turned his back on the mirror. Not wanting to see, until she was done. Taking a deep breath he  
nodded at her. "Whenever you are."

It only took a moment, since the spells she used on Harry, she also used on herself and her husband. When she was done, she took a good look at Harry, and decided to have a little fun. "Well Harry, I'm not sure what to say..." she said with an uncertain look on her face.

Harry whipped around and looked in the mirror, and his mouth dropped open in shock. Instead of a mop of shaggy hair that went where ever it wanted, was now a shinny mass of flowing locks. he couldn't believe the difference. Smiling at the face beside his in the  
mirror, he played along. "Do you think I can get my money back?" he asked.

"I don't know Harry. you could always ask."

Laughing Harry gave her a hug. "thank you. did you want to stay while I complete the look?"

"I would love too."

Smiling, Harry popped the first candy in his mouth. He decided to start with skin tone. instead of going  
darker, since he already had a natural tanned look, he decided to go in the other direction. His tan  
faded and left behind creamy unblemished skin. Next, he changed his eyes to a dark blue, which he followed with a candy that turned his dark hair, a golden red.

Gazing at his new look in joy, he pushed his hair back behind his ears, and caught sight of his scar.  
Sighing his look saddened. "If only there was a way to hide the scar for a few hours." He said.

"And you need to change your voice." Narcissa said. Thinking for a moment, she motioned harry to stay there, and went out into the main room with the candy wrapper for the skin tone he had used.

Once there, she pulled the twins to the side and held a whispered conversation. With a grin, Fred and George left, and while she waited for them, she went over the candies looking for one that would change Harry's voice. she had just made her selection when the twins returned and handed her two different containers.  
Smiling her thanks, she joined harry back in the bathroom, completely ignoring the looks she was  
getting from Severus.

"Here Harry eat this. It will lower your voice enough so that people won't recognize it. and then i need  
you to sit still."

Doing as he was told, he sat on the edge of the bathtub, and waited patiently for Narcissa to do what  
ever it was she planned. First, she pulled out a piece of material that looked like skin, and stretched it over the scar. when she had it all covered, she used the liquid in the other container, which was just like  
muggle foundation. when she was done, she motioned him over to the mirror, and Harry got the first  
glimpse of his new look. His scar was no where in sight, and you couldn't even tell that it had been  
covered.

With a huge grin on his face, he threw both arms around Narcissa and gave her a huge hug. "thank you so much. I don't know what i would have done without your help." he said with his new voice.  
"There is only one problem that I can see Harry." she whispered back.

Pulling away Harry gave her a nervous look. "What?"

"Whether or not Severus will let you leave the apartment." she said with a knowing grin. "I don't  
think that he will want you to leave his sight." When Harry flushed and shrugged his shoulders, Narcissa gave him another hug. "What ever you feel for him, don't rush it. Just go where your heart leads you, and it will be alright."

"Thanks Narcissa." Harry whispered. pulling back a little he gave her an impish grin. "Do you think you can convince him to let me go no matter what, without him seeing me first?"

"I think I might be able to manage that. how much can I give in to him?"

"I'll agree to one adult as long as it's not him. He's to noticeable, even if he changed his looks"

"Agreed. How about Gidean?"

"As long as he also changes his looks. I've already been seen in the Alley with him."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks again, Narcissa."

"Any time Harry, Any time."

With that she walked out of the bathroom, firmly closing the door behind her. Seeing a whole new set  
of faces looking her way, she grinned, it seemed the twins would also be joining the group going shopping. She liked the new looks, but none of them where as drastic as Harry's.

"Severus. I think we may have a problem." she said.

"Is Harry okay?' he questioned.

"Harry's fine. Come over here with me, and I'll explain the problem to you." walking over to the far  
corner of the room, she waited for her long time friend to join her.

"What is it Narcissa. Are you sure Harry's fine?"

"I'm sure. In fact he's great. The problem we have at the moment is you. I've seen the way you watch him."

Severus refused to look at her. "I don't know what you mean."

"I'm sure you do. In fact, I've already given harry some advice on that subject. Don't worry, it's  
nothing bad. All you have to do is remember that he doesn't know how to deal with his feelings, and you need to give him time. Which brings us to our problem. You need to promise me that you will let  
Harry go out with his friends. No matter what."

"And why wouldn't I let him leave?" Severus asked, totally ignoring the rest of what she said, even  
though the words kept spinning around in his mind.

"Because, he looks that good. and I'm afraid that once you see him, you will not let him leave for fear  
of him not coming back to you."

Severus flushed slightly. He didn't like the repercussions of that statement. "I could always go  
with him."

"No Severus. You can't. your attitude and glare would give you away."

"How about someone else then. this way he'll be safe."

"Gidean would work. It's apparent that he thinks of Harry as a little brother. And he can keep everyone  
at arms length." She told him, knowing full well what Severus meant by 'safe'

"I can agree with that. He'll need to disguise himself though. he's already been seen with Harry in  
the Alley." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I give you my promise that I'll let Harry leave no  
matter what."

Narcissa gave him a sly grin. " I accept your promise on Harry's behalf. Would you believe me if i  
told you that Harry said the same thing about Gidean?"

"You planned all of this already haven't you?" he accused.

"We planned all of this, yes. But then I know you." she laughed and walked away, calling over her  
shoulder, "you better tell Gidean."

Growling under his breath he stalked over to his cousin and Uncle. When he reached them, they smiled  
when they heard what he was growling about. "What's this about conniving women and insolent whelps?" Gidean asked him, At the same time that Damean said "I take it your talking about Narcissa and Harry?"

Lucius, hearing his wifes name joined them. "What's going on?"

Severus groaned. "Narcissa and Harry plotted against me." he sighed. "It seems they where both afraid  
that I wouldn't let Harry go, so they came up with a plan to let them go with any other adult but me." He told them, not giving them the whole truth.

"Oh, so who's the lucky person who gets to brat sit?" Lucius asked.

"Gidean gets that honor." Severus told him, and then gave his cousin a mocking smile. "You better go and try out those candies Gidean."

"Great. Just what I need." Gidean groaned. Turning towards the table the candies where sitting on he  
stopped, and stared when he saw Harry walk out of the bathroom. "Um Sev. I think you should look at this." He whispered.

Following the direction of Gidean's stare, Severus turned and saw Harry. "Oh Merlin" he whispered.

"I think Sev, that my wife knows you better then you think." Lucius said with a grin.

Harry took that moment to look up, and met Severus gaze. Blushing lightly, Harry gave him a shy grin, and reluctantly turned his back. Damean grinned at this and walked over to Harry. "Well Young One. I do believe that you have made the most startling change. Come here and let me get a good look at you."

Harry did as he was told and allowed Damean to get a good look. His blush deepened when he heard Damean whisper under his breath. "If you wanted to catch his attention anymore then you already had, this was a good choice. It was also a very good idea to get him to agree to let you go. I'm sure if he had his way, he would lock you away, and keep you to himself."

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry decided that it was best to change the subject. walking over to the table he picked up a few of the candies and turned to Gidean. "Gidean, are you just going to stand there staring all day or are you going to get your arse in gear. Sev only gave us an hour you know." He then  
started tossing the candies at Gidean.

Severus shook himself and gave the teen a glare. "You already used up half your time getting ready."

"You haven't even started cooking yet. we still get the hour of shopping while you cook."

"Who said I was cooking?" Sev asked with a raised eyebrow.

"As if you would trust the twins with that. How long did it take you to trust my cooking?" Harry asked him knowingly.

"Insufferable Brat."

"I've already told you today. I would rather be a Brat then a Bat." Harry grinned.

"Leave Imp, before I change my mind."

Harry picked up a cloak and pulled it around his shoulders, "You can't change your mind. you promised that you would let me leave."

Severus threw a glare his way and started growling under his breath again, the growl turned into a snarl  
when Harry started laughing as he pushed the others out the door.

Narcissa gave Severus another knowing look. "You realize that you have nothing to worry about, don't  
you?" she asked.

Severus gave her a smirk. "I know."

Lucius and Damean exchanged looks. "How do you know that?" they asked together.

Severus's smirk got even larger. "He took my cloak." was all he said before going to the kitchen to start supper.


	9. Chapter 9

Nope not mine. sighs but a girl can dream right?

Thanks to Sandra and Kei for all their help.

A/N Over the next few days I will be reposting the first eight chapters of this story, with corrections. and for those of you who have read my other ones, they'll be fixed next. Thanks for all your support.

Chapter Nine.

Harry's eyes sparkled with amusement as he jumped down the last few steps leading down into the storeroom of the twins shop. "Well, that went will. For a moment there I was afraid that he wouldn't let me leave, despite the promise he made." Harry told them traces of laughter still lacing through his voice.

"Why would Uncle Sev make you stay behind?" Draco asked in puzzlement.

Harry was proud that he didn't allow the blush he felt coming on, spread across his checks. "Just that your Godfather is an overprotective git, is all."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief, "Uh-huh. How come I don't believe that to be the only reason. I'm sure Mrs. Malfoy had something to do with it."

This time holding back the blush so it did not spread was much harder. "She's the one that made him promise to let me leave." Harry told them

"Right. Whatever you say Mate. I for one don't believe you." Ron snickered.

Draco started in on the fun. "I have to agree with them. What exactly did my mother say to you?"

"It's really nothing. She just pointed something out to me is all." he explained quickly, while looking around for a way to distract them all.

George and Fred looked at each other and grinned evilly, knowing exactly what Harry was trying to do. "So Harry, what's with the cloak?"

"What do you mean. I'm still healing after the past few weeks. The last thing I need is to catch a chill."

"And that's why you are wearing Severus's cloak instead of your own right." Gidean pointed out.

Harry's blush would no longer be denied and deepened as thoughts of his Professor came to mind. Shaking away those interesting thoughts, he started to move over to the door. "I don't know what you mean?" he mumbled.

The only answer he got from that statement was out right laughter.

Becoming serious Gidean asked "What names are we going by while out in public. It's obvious that you are all well known and therefor cannot use your real ones."

Harry looked at Gidean in surprise. "Actually you and the twins will be using your real names. The rest of us will go by our middle names. The only real change will be Ron's name, He will use Billy instead of Bilius." Harry told him.

Gidean just shrugged his shoulders. "That works for me. Does this mean I can call you Jamie?"

It was Harry's turn to shrug. "That's what the others call me."

"Makes since I suppose. I just have one more question for you."

"And that would be?"

"What exactly is going on between you and my cousin?" Gidean said bringing the conversation back to where it started.

Harry cocked his head to the side as he studied the faces of his friends. A slow grin spreading across his face. "Honestly? There is nothing going on between myself and Severus." he said and then allowed his grin to turn slightly evil. "At least there is nothing happening between us yet." he finished and before anyone could react to this statement he pulled the cloak around him better and slipped out the door to join the rest of the crowd, calling out over his shoulder. "Lets get some shopping down. We have less then an hour left."

Gidean laughed at the gobsmacked expressions on the faces of the five teens. "You do realize that Sev will kill us if we allow him to wonder out there on his own right?" he questioned.

"Shite" came the startled exclamation of the young people.

Hermione went running after Harry with the rest of the group trailing after her. They finally caught up with him outside of Madam Malkins.

"It's about time you all showed up. I was beginning to worry. What took you so long?" Harry asked, and impish light shining in his eyes.

Draco slapped him upside the head. "Your a prat you know. Do you realize what my Godfather would do to us if something would have happened to you.?"

"I know exactly what he would have done to the bunch of you. And it would have been entirely your fault for being slow." Harry pointed out.

Hermione gave Harry a pointed look. "Lets get your shopping down. I would rather not get on his bad side if it's alright with you."

Harry just shrugged his shoulders and walked into the store. He could see that Draco was bouncing in excitement at the idea of finally having Harry and his clothing at his disposal. Instead of making a quick trip in and out of just Madam Malkins, he managed to drag Harry and the rest of them into many different stores in the amount of time alloted to them, buying everything that he insisted Harry absolutely needed, no matter how many times Harry pointed out to him that he was only supposed to get the basics.

It wasn't until they had about 20 minutes left that Harry managed to stop Draco's spending spree. "Hey guys, I know I was told that whatever I needed for my training would be supplied for me, right up to getting a second wand, but I've got a feeling that I need to go see Mr. Ollivander."

This stopped everyone in their tracks. Gidean gave Harry a considering look. "Something in that one store draws to you doesn't?"

Harry nodded his head. "I can't explain it. But I know that if I don't answer the call, than something horrible will happen."

Gidean nodded his head in turn. "I understand. Lets go." He lead the way and held the door to the wand makers place open and waited for the rest of the group to join them. When the last one entered, he closed and locked the door behind him.

Harry glanced around the dark shop looking for the owner. "Hello? Mr. Ollivander?" He called out.

A slight sound from the other side of the room had all of the turning as the old man made his appearance. "Ah, Mr. Potter. I thought I would be seeing you again sometime soon."

"It's good to see you again Sir." Harry said with a small smile.

"Yes it's good to see you also young man. What can I do for you today?"

"Um. Well it's really hard to explain. I'm not exactly sure what it really is." Harry started, before taking a deep breath. "To be honest though Sir, I felt something drawing me in here. Like I was being called."

"I see. Well that is nothing unusual in our world. Or at least not that unusual for those with great power."

Harry dropped his eyes in embarrassment. He really didn't like it when people commented on how much power he had. "Do you have any idea on what it could be?"

"That is the thing Mr. Potter. You must find it for yourself. Close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Allow your mind to drift until you feel that which is calling to you."

Harry took the old man's advice, and closed his eyes. Calling upon what he learned on relaxation techniques with Severus last year, he allowed himself to fall in a light trance. After a few minutes he felt and sensed the ambient magic around him and started to work on blocking out everything that didn't call to him.

The first thing he blocked was anything that was alive, meaning his friends and the wand maker. The next thing he did was block out all magic that didn't harmonize with his own. From all his lessons, he knew that nothing would call to him unless it would harmonize completely with his own. That narrowed down most of the magic in the shop, now he just had to focus on what was truly calling him, and not anything that he could possible use.

Vaguely he heard a voice telling him to follow the call to where ever it lead him, and he followed that advice also. Keeping his eyes closed he started to weave his way around all obsticals in his path. It wasn't until he was forced to stop when he hit a solid table that he brought himself out of his light trance, when he opened his eyes he found that he was holding a small box in his hands.

Glancing around he found that he was no longer in the main part of the shop, but rather in one of the back rooms. A slight sound right behind him, had him turning to face the potential danger as he had been trained to do. realizing that it was the old wand maker. flushing in embarrassment once again harry smiled at Ollivander before turning back to the table and the box he had left there when he turned.

Carefully opening the flaps on the box, he glanced in and found a few things of interest. the first to be removed from the box was a set of sharp daggers, perfectly balanced, followed by a set of wands. putting these beside the daggers, harry once more reached into the box and pulled out a set of sheaths and two journals. Looking at everything he glanced up and Ollivander, "Sir, if you don't mind me asking where did you get these?"

"I received that box about a month ago. It came with a letter saying that the new owner of the contents of that box would be come around soon to claim it. there was no signature or anything to identify who sent it to me."

"I think the answers will be in the journals." Harry murmured.

"Indeed Mr. Potter. It would seem that way. It looks like you have found yourself a new set of weapons. I just hope they will help you on your way."

"Time will tell Sir. One more question before I take these box upfront again sir."

"Of course Mr. Potter, how may I help you?"

"How did you know it was me?"

Ollivander gave a short laugh. "You are the first person that has come in here to ever ask me that question. I don't need to see your face to know who you are. I read auras. It help me match the wands to the right person. I knew all of you but one, but knew that that one thought of you as family, so I was not worried."

"Thank you sir."

"My pleasure Mr. Potter. Shall we join the others now."

Harry smiled and motioned for the old wand maker to go ahead of him. H was greeted by the relieved faces of his friends.

"what did you find young one?" Gidean asked him.

Harry couldn't help it, with a small smile towards Ollivander he said, "A curious fine. a very curious find." Setting the box down on the front counter, he opened it up and pulled out the sheaths. "Gidean, can you help me put these on?"

"of course young one." Gidean replied as he reached for the first sheath. Placing them on Harry's arms, he stepped back as Harry pulled out the two daggers, and watched as Harry sent them spinning without a conscious thought. with a small flick of the wrest the young man had both daggers resting in their places before reaching in and pulling out two books, and setting them on the counter. he next pulled out the two wands and was just about to set them in their place when Ollivander stepped in to stop him.

"Mr. Potter, perhaps you should test those wands first to make sure that you can use them." Mr. Ollivander said softly.

"If it makes you feel better." Harry sighed. Holding both wands in his hands loosely, Harry looked around the dark shop for something that he wouldn't damage if anything went wrong. Spotting an old, rickety chair in one corner, he flicked the wand in his right hand at it, and transfigured it into a large comfortable armchair. A swish of the wand in his left had, left the glass in the front windows unbreakable. A quick twist of his hands had both wands resting next to the daggers.

"Merlin Harry, I knew you had been practicing your wand handling, but where did you learn how to handle daggers like that?" Ron breathed.

Harry smirked at him, "Remedial Potions. Where else?"

Draco gave Harry a funny look, "you told us you were learning Occlmency in those sessions."

"I was, but it only took one lesson. I kicked him out of my mind when he came to close to some things I didn't want him to see, and refused to let him back in. After that he started teaching me dueling and everything he knew about hand to hand combat." Harry said with a small shrug.

"In other words Young One, Severus put you through the exercises that are taught to the young of our race." Gidean told him bluntly.

Harry looked at him in concern. "Will that get him into trouble with the Dane?"

Gidean sighed, "No, I don't believe so. The Dane already considers you part of the family. I think he'll let this slide."

Harry blushed. He just couldn't help it. Deciding that it would be best to leave the topic on just how he wanted to be family alone, he turned back to Mr. Ollivander. "How much do I owe you for these?"

"You already paid for them when you charmed my window and gave me a new chair. Besides they were only in my keeping until their owner came to claim them."

"Thank you very much Sir." Harry said with heartfelt gratitude.

"Think nothing of it young man. Just let me know when you find out who they once belonged to."

"I will Sir. Have no doubt about that." Harry said, while stuffing the journals in one of the many inside pockets of the cloak, and motioned for Gidean to unlock the door. Before any of them could step out of the shop though, Harry snapped his head up and closed his eyes when he heard a mental cry.

:BONDED, WIZARDS WEARING BLACK ROBES AND WHITE MASKS ARE ATTACKING NEARBY:

/Where Jewel/

:THE DARK PART OF THE ALLEY:

/Inform the others that Death Eaters are attacking Knockturn Alley, and that we will meet them outside the Twins shop./ Harry commanded. /And Jewel, I want you to protect Severus./

:EBONY CAN PROTECT HIM. MY PLACE IS WITH YOU.:

/Don't argue. If anything should happen to him, I would not survive./

:I WILL DO AS YOU ASK AND WATCH HIM. BUT IF I NEED TO MAKE THE CHOICE BETWEEN YOU AND HIM, I WILL CHOOSE YOU:

/No you won't. Ebony can protect me. We don't have the time to argue this at the moment. Go and do as I asked./ He told her, and cut the link for the moment.

Opening his eyes he refocused his eyes, only to find Gidean waiting impatiently for news.

"Death Eaters are attacking Knockturn Alley. The others will be meeting us outside the twins shop. Jewel and Ebony will stand guard." He told them, and strode out of the shop. He knew that the candies that changed their appearances would wear off in about half an hour, making him and those with him the main target once they where spotted. But there really was no helping that at the moment.

He didn't stop his steady walk once he reached the others, and was extremely grateful when Severus fell into step beside him.

"The candies have warn off, sooner then expected." Severus commented.

"I know, and I really don't care at the moment. Even with them, I still would have made myself a target when I started fighting back."

"Do you need to use my spare wand?"

"Nope. I found one at Ollivander's. You can yell at me later for it."

"Fair enough. Any orders?"

"Take out as many as you can, anyway that you can without using the unforgivables." Harry said loud enough for all of them to hear. Turning to Mr. Malfoy who was pacing him on his other side he continued. "That goes double for you. Stay close to me for as long as you can, and if you have any problems with the Ministry, let me know and I'll deal with it." he ordered.

"How do you know I won't turn on you Mr. Potter?"

"Because you don't really want to face off against your son, who is on my side."

Lucius Malfoy didn't comment on this since it was the truth.

As the came across the first sign of fighting Harry raised his voice slightly once again. "Spread out and keep moving. Make sure you hit them hard enough to keep them down, without killing them out right, unless you have no other choice." Harry shivered from the chill, knowing that it was the effect caused from Dementors. Mentally counting down the seconds until Hermione also figured it out.

"Harry, Dementors!" She called out from slightly behind him.

"I know. Don't do anything about it until I tell you they are close enough to take out."

"And how will you know that?" Narcissa asked.

"Because when they are close enough, I'll start hearing the final moments before my mother was killed." He answered coldly.

Moments later, Severus had to steady him as he stumbled, as the first cries of his mother's last moments sounded in his head.

"Now!" He shouted and brought out both of his wands.

" Expecto patronum!" They all cried at the same time, and a sea of silver mist poured forth to take down the now visible Dementors. Harry was not surprised to see the familiar sight of Prongs take shape. What did surprise him was the large Grim like form right beside Prongs. "Padfoot." He murmured, before pulling himself together once again.

"Right. I don't care how you do it, but if Wormtail is here, I want him alive. Let's not let the rat escape again."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Damean, Gidean, and Severus call forth their Battle Staffs, and heard Damean order them to use the 6" blades that could be added to each end. After that, Harry only kept enough awareness on his companions, to make sure that he did not accidentally aim for them.

It wasn't long before he heard Ebony call out a change in the battle. :BONDED, MOST OF THOSE FIGHTING ARE NOW WEREWOLVES. ONLY A FEW OF THOSE YOU CALL DEATH EATERS REMAIN.:

/Cowards./ He snarled back before shouting out to the others. "Werewolves. Beware."

Harry flipped his wands back into their holders, and flicked out the silver tipped daggers instead. To his immense surprise, the daggers lengthened to double edged short swords. Silently thanking Severus for the lessons, he shifted his grip slightly and sent both swords spinning in his hands, before he started to attack those within his reach.

:BONDED, YOUR PROTECTOR IS SURROUNDED. THERE ARE TO MANY FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO CLEAR A SPACE FOR HIM: Jewel shouted his mind, as her battle cry echoed through out the Alley.

/Where/ He asked, panic and fear lacing his mental voice.

:TO YOUR LEFT. HURRY.:

/Ebony help her./ he called out, and switched directions, allowing the birds to lead him to where he needed to go. Barely aware of the three blonds guarding his sides and back. When they reached the circle of Werewolves surrounding Severus, Harry told them to fall back. "I won't risk having them get to you. Pull back. We'll be fine."

Draco was about to argue with him, but his father simply nodded his head. "Bring my brother out alive." was all he said.

"I will don't worry. Just make sure you don't fall into their hands or the hands of the Ministry."

As the Malfoys pulled back, Harry focused his fear and anger through the blades and watched as they glowed silver with magic. It only took him a minute to break through the circle, and planted himself at Severus's back. Guarding each other from any attack, it didn't take them long to scatter those around them. Unlike Severus, Harry only needed to scratch the Werewolves to have them fall back in pain from silver poisoning.

Once the two of them had cleared the immediate area, Harry looked around and found more and more people he knew around, also finishing off those still around. Severus and Harry sagged against each other for a few minutes to catch their breath before separating.

It was in that moment when Harry's back was unguarded that the unspeakable happened. Fenrir Greyback sprang forward from where he was hiding and attacked.

Harry cried out, as white hot pain, flooded through his body, from the base of his neck to his lower back.

Well honed survival instincts kicked in as Harry pivoted around and slashed out at shoulder level with one of his swords. Severus's bladed Battle Staff, connecting at the same time.

Harry collapsed in Severus's arms as Fenrir Greyback's head landed at the feet of horrified Remus Lupin. 10 feet away.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten.

Harry didn't need to open his eyes to know where he was, as the antiseptic smell of the infirmary at Hogwarts immediately gave that away. Cracking one eye open slowly, he verified just by the amount of sunlight coming though the window above the bed, that yes he was in usual reserved bed, furtherest from the door, once again.

Opening both eyes fully he glanced around the room to make sure that he was alone. Taking stock of his body, he noted that the only thing wrong with him was some pain, which he was adapt at coping with and hiding from the most observant, and pulled himself up into a sitting position, then took a moment to gather himself, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and slowly standing. Glancing once more around the room, double checking to make sure he was alone, he made ready to make his escape. He was halfway to the door, walking slowly and grumbling about his bed being so far away from the blasted things, when they swung sharply open and in came one of his worst nightmares, the Hell Cat of the Hospital Wing.

"Mr. Potter, did you really believe that I would be foolish enough to leave you alone without placing both a monitoring charm and a tracking spell on you?" Madam Pomfrey asked, amusement coloring her voice slightly.

Harry dropped his eyes to the floor, "Um ... Hi Madam Pomfrey. I guess that means you want me back in bed, huh?" he said with a sheepish smile.

"Yes Mr. Potter, I do want you back in your bed. And you will stay there until I say otherwise, and a responsible adult comes to retrieve you. No one will be able to move you out of here without first checking to make sure it's alright with me, so that I may remove those charms. I will also require you to answer a few questions for me, before I contact anyone to come and get you."

Harry nodded his head in acceptance of the terms, knowing he had no other choice. "Yes Ma'am, what would you like to know?" He asked with a will hidden sigh of resignation.

"After Gidean and young Mr. Malfoy retrieved you from those Muggles, I tried to give you the potions you needed to heal. Professor Snape informed me that you would not accept them, even with you unconscious, without his say so first. You proved that once again over the past two weeks, would you like to explain to me why you decided to take that precaution?" she asked while tucking him back into his bed

Harry flushed lightly in embarrassment over her treatment of him, but answered her anyway. "It's not just you Ma'am, I won't even take potions from Professor Snape without the safe word, or I can see and ask questions about them first. It's a safety measure that was put in place after that one Order Mission I was 'allowed' on last summer. Someone under polyjuice gave me a 'headache potion' that was actually a poison designed to be extremely painful before it killed you. The only thing that saved was the fact that I'm immune to most poisons because of that basilisk bite from my second year. I can become sick from them but nothing more. When Professor Snape and I got back, we decided not to take any more chances, so we went into my mind to place a command that would not allow me to take anything without my knowledge."

"What happens if someone gets hold of that password or forces Professor Snape to give you a potion?"

"We did think of that actually. The password changes after each use, and if it's taken against his will it will change the moment it leaves his mouth. On top of that we won't know what the password is until it's needed. That password would not work either if he's forced to give me a potion." Harry explained.

"Then how will you know what the password is?"

"Our minds are linked on a subconscious level for just that purpose, and no one can alter or break that bond in any way, shape or form."

Madam Pomfrey looked at the young man in front of him slightly puzzled. "How in Merlin's name did the two of you manage that?"

Harry gave her an amused smile. " We're asking ourselves that same question. I"m sure given enough time one of us will figure it out."

Nodding her head slightly, madam Pomfrey gave up on getting any more or any clearer answers. "Thank you Harry for answering my questions. I do understand your caution, even if I don't like it. It makes since that you would safeguard against me, as one of the people that gives you potions on a regular basis."

Knowing that the interrogation was over for the time being Harry gave her a grin. "You're very welcome Poppy. I'm always happy to help when I can."

Giving a soft snort of laughter Poppy tried to once more become the stern nurse. "Then roll over on your stomach so I can check your back."

"Yes ma'am" Harry said with a slight smile as he rolled over on his stomach and allowed her to run her scans. He knew better then most that the sooner you allowed the Medi-Witch to fuss over you, (not that she considered it that) the sooner she allowed you to leave.

30 minutes later she gave Harry permission to sit back up while she went to retrieve his potions. "Now Mr. potter, will you consent to taking these potions or must I summon the Potions Master for you?" She half joked.

Harry gave her a cheeky grin as he accepted the well known pain and nutrient potions, even though he knew the pain potion would do nothing more the dull the edge of his pain. "That depends on wither or not you consider said Potions Master a responsible adult?"

"let me think about that and get back to you." she replied with an answering grin.

"If it makes you feel better Poppy, I will take the potions as long as I can tell what they are." Harry told the Medi-Witch as he swallowed the required potions. Grateful that he would have some help to hide his pain for awhile.

"Thank you Harry, that does make me feel a lot better." Poppy said with a touch of relief in her voice.

Harry gave her a small smile, and then not waiting to spend anymore time in the Hell Cats territory then necessary called to his familiar :Jewel my love are available to speak with me?:

The answer came back immediately with no small amount of relief in the voice. :ALWAYS MY BONDED. YOU NEVER NEED TO ASK:

Harry smiled at this answer "Is there away for you to link me with the Dane?:

:ONLY IF HE MAKES FIRST CONTACT:

:Then would you be kind enough to ask him to contact me?:

:WITH PLEASURE MY BONDED"

:Thank you love:

Jewel entered through one of the many windows in the Great Hall, just as Damean, Gideon and Severus entered through the main doors. Altering her path from a lazy circle into a dive she aimed directly for the Dane and gave a battle cry as she struck his well padded shoulder : DANE MESSAGE. MY BONDED WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONTACT HIM:

:Thank you beautiful: he replied running his fingers through her crest feathers. //Young One?// He sent out towards Harry.

//Damean, can you come rescue me from the clutches of the Hell Cat of the Hospital Wing?//

Damean, much to the bewilderment of those in the Great Hall started laughing hard enough that he needed to sit down //Hell Cat?// he finally managed.

//Ask Severus// Came Harry's laughter filled answer

Catching his breath he turned to his nephew, knowing his question would put to rest, most of the pain that lingered in those black eyes. "Sev can you explain the term 'Hell Cat of the Hospital Wing' to me?" he asked soft enough for his voice not to carry.

Severus barely managed to stop himself from laughing in relief. As it was, he had enough trouble keeping his knees form buckling as a giant weight was lifted off of him. "He's awake?" He asked with a small smile, that added a light that had been missing for the past few weeks, to his eyes. At his uncles nod, he pulled himself back together although his eyes remained bright. "That is Mr. Potters term for Madam Pomfrey." he finally said, just as softly as his uncles question.

Snorting in amusement Damean turned to leave the Great Hall. "He wants me to rescue him from the Hell Cat's clutches." he said.

Severus reached out and lightly touched his uncles arm. "Make sure he has permission to leave first, or you'll find out the hard way why she's called a 'Hell Cat'"

Damean nodded his head in understanding//Do you have permission to leave?//

Harry laughed softly in his mind//Only if it's with a responsible adult, which leaves Severus out of the question.// Came the amused response.

//Would you like me to repeat that?//

//Nope, as I'm sure she'll do that for us.//

Not needing any explanation as to who 'She' was, Damean also laughed //Alright Young One we're on our way.//

15 minutes later found all three men entering the hospital wing, with Jewel still on Damean's shoulder, to find Harry impatiently waiting for them. Flashing them a bright smile, he stood only to find himself sitting once again when Ebony landed on his shoulder.

Jewel cocked her head to the side and smugly broad casted for everyone to hear.:IF YOU CAN'T REMAIN STANDING WHEN EBONY LANDS ON YOUR SHOULDER THEN YOU ARE NOT WELL ENOUGH TO LEAVE THAT BED!:

"If I would have been warned, I would have been able to brace myself for his wight." Harry shot back.

:THAT IS NOT OUR CONCERN. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH TO LEAVE ON YOUR OWN TWO FEET.:

Harry and Jewel locked into a silent battle of wills, as Poppy laughed at them both. "With familiars like these, I won't have to worry about keeping Harry in a bed to heal in the years to come."

"Is he well enough to leave?" Damean asked Poppy while watching the staring contest as well.

"As long as he's with a responsible adult, I see no problems in letting him leave." Poppy told him.

"That won't be a problem Poppy. I have guardianship over him, so he will be staying with me." Severus told her.

"Ah, but the question remains. Do I consider you a responsible adult Severus?" Poppy said a smile twitching around the corners of her mouth.

Severus turned his Death Eaters glare on Harry who had given up at glaring at his familiar "I suppose Mr. Potter that you had something to do with that comment?" he sneered.

"Do you honestly believe that I'm capable of something like that Professor?" Harry asked trying and failing to look innocent.

"Yes Brat I do." Turning to the bird that still remained on his uncles shoulder he asked, "Jewel would it be acceptable to you if he leaves the same way he arrived?"

Jewel once more cocked her head to the side as she thought about that. A moment later she bobbed her head up and down in response. Severus once more asked the Medi-Witch, "Is he allowed to leave?"

With a slight flick of her wand, Poppy disabled all charms on the teen, "Yes Severus he can leave, as long as he takes it easy for a few days."

Severus gave Harry a slight sneer, "I'm sure he'll do exactly what he's told. If he doesn't I'll place him back her under the eyes of both his birds.

"That works for me. Mr. potter behave yourself, I don't want to see you in her again until well into next term.

"Don't worry Poppy, I don't want to be here for anything else other then for tea anytime soon." Harry told her with a small smile, before turning to Severus, "Professor if you don't mind me asking, what did you mean when you asked Jewel if it was acceptable if I left here the same way I came in?"

Severus throw a glare at his uncle and cousin and before they could answer for him he half snarled at Harry. "I carried you here. Is that going to be a problem Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked his Professor in the eye and did his best not to smirk at the man. "I do believe Professor, that if you can live with being seen as mostly human, then I can live with the injustice of being carried, if only to make sure I don't get stuck with a set of feathered nursemaids." He replied nonchalantly, earning himself twin squawks of outrage.

Masking his amusement Severus gently picked Harry up and cradled him against his chest, making sure that the teen was comfortable, before walking out the door. Both of them thankful that they where far enough away, that no one else heard Harry's sigh of pleasure, as he tucked his head under Severus' chin.

Damean and Gideon quickly caught up to and fell into step on either side of the Potions Master, with Madam Pomfrey following close behind. The four of them where almost at the Great Hall when harry Stiffened in Severus arms.

"Put me down Sev." Harry said quietly, but with enough authority that the Potions Master obeyed right away, only keeping hold of the teen until he had his balance.

Damean gave Harry a concerned look "What's wrong Harry?" He asked quietly.

Harry didn't answer him, and when Damean looked at him closer, he realized that Harry had a far away look in his eyes. When they cleared, he gave the three men a concerned look of his own. "I think the three of you should hurry up to the Headmasters Office. I'm getting a very strong feeling that you are needed there." He told the three of them. With a quick look between them, they all hurried off, leaving Harry in Poppy's more then capable hands.

As soon as they where out of sight, he sighed and turned to the Medi-Witch, "I'm sorry to ask this of you, especially since I just sent those three off with out me, but would it be possible for you to take me to the Headmaster's office as well? Something is wrong, and I fear that I'm going to be the only one to fix it."

Madam Pomfrey didn't even question the young man in front of her, nodding her head, she held out her arm to help him balance and walk for as long as he needed, and the two of them started to make their slow way up to the Headmaster's office.

hp

Draco, Ron and Hermione, all sat silently in a shadowed alcove in the Headmaster's Office, where they could hear and see what was going on around them, without letting the Minister for Magic and the Auror's with him know they where there. They had all been surprised when Damean, Gidean and Snape had showed up a few minutes ago, without being summoned, but now even more worry was visible for those within the room.

Both Ron and Hermione where giving Draco concerned looks and finally Hermione asked if he was okay through their shared bond.

Barely giving her a nod in response, as he was to wrapped up with concentrating on the fourth member and leader of their group, willing him through the bond to wake up. He knew that the only way that his parents and godfather and more then likely himself, would remain out of Azkaban was if Harry woke up and gave Fudge a piece of his mind. Despite the efforts to protect them by the two vampires and the half hearted efforts of the Headmaster himself.

Damean Welsh could not believe the hardheadedness of the currant Minister for Magic. No matter what anyone said, he would not listen to reason. He was bound and determined to take all three Malfoys and Severus away for murder, being Death Eaters, and attempted murder of the Boy Who Lived. When the truth was, that the four of them where doing what the could to keep the same child from being killed.

Looking over at his nephew, he couldn't help but still be concerned at the deep shadows from lack of sleep and the lingering hint of pain that shadowed them as he despaired over Harry waking up again, even though some of it had disappeared after carrying the young teen who had woken up earlier from the infirmary. The attack two weeks earlier had nearly shredded the young mans spinal cord, and even though Poppy had deemed him completely healed, he had still taken far to long too wake from his healing sleep. A sudden movement from Fudge broke him away from his thoughts and pulled a deep growl from him.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Fudge exclaimed and motioned the Auror's forward. "Arrest these three and find Draco Malfoy and bring him in also." Turning to the Headmaster he glared at the man in smug satisfaction. "I'll also be moving Mr. Potter from your care and placing him in protective custody."

Damean and Gidean's eyes flashed a deadly purple as the moved to stand in front of the Malfoys and Severus, but before they could say anything, another voice entered the conversation.

"They will be going no where with you Fudge, and neither will I." The coldness in Harry's voice sent chills down everyone's spine.

Fudge spun around already attempting to sputter out an order for Harry to obey him, when he was stopped by twin chips of cold emeralds that stared, unflinching back at him. Fudge carefully considered his next move, before giving Harry a contented smile. "There's nothing you can do to stop me from taking these Death Eaters into custody. And nothing you can do from making you come with me either." he told the young man in front of him.

Harry preformed a sneer to rival Severus before answering, "Actually I can. It's against the Law to arrest anyone without solid proof of guilt. And if you don't have that proof, you need the permission of their Head of Family after you convinced them of their guilt without proof. I don't believe that Damean Welsh has a agreed to any such thing and neither have I. And if you really wish to push the issue, I can assure you that the Head of the Weasley family will also stand with us against you." Harry finished with a growl.

"I would like to know how the other's fit in with this matter, or just what say you have exactly." Fudge shot back, with a mocking smile.

"I'm glad you asked." Harry said with a slightly vicious grin, his voice dropping down to a dangerous purr. "Severus Snape is the nephew of the Dane of the vampire Kuglash Clan, who is by the way standing behind you at the moment. Damean Welsh has also adopted Lucius Malfoy and by extension his family. As Narcissa was a member of the Black family before she married Lucius, she and any of her children are under the protection of the Head of the Black Family, and through her that protection also covers her husband. when my godfather Sirius Black was killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, the title Lord Black came to me along with the title Lord Potter."

Grinning even more at the look of dawning horror on the Ministers face, Harry continued. "As Severus is my Guardian he comes under the protection of both Families. Draco Malfoy shares a blood brother bond with both myself, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, putting him under the protection of the Weasley family as well. Not to put too fine of a point on it Minister, if you don't leave now, without your supposed captives, you will find yourself run out of office faster then you can say your own name, and that's without using any of the political power that comes with being the Boy Who Lived!"

By the time Harry had finished speaking the entire room was deadly silent. Everyone was watching to see what the Ministers reaction would be, and where silently laughing at the colors his face were going. It was the Dane who finally broke the silence that seemed to have caught everyone, "You may leave now Minister, and you can take your goons with you." he hissed and watched in satisfaction as Fudge scurried form the room with his squad of pet Auror's closely following behind.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer... Do I even have to say it?? Not mine, never will be either.. I also didn't make any money from writing this fic.

A/N Thank you to Sandra for going over this for me... couldn't have done it without you. Also want to apologies to the shortness. But what I want to happen next would have taken a full chapter so I ended here. Luvs ya all.

Chapter Eleven.

As soon as the door closed behind the last of Fudge's lackeys, Harry found Draco's arms wrapped around him, and let himself be maneuvered into the chair next to Severus, knowing that Hermione's disapproving gaze was fixed steadily on him. At the moment, he really didn't care, as the trip up to the Headmaster's office and the confrontation with the Minister had all but drained him of the little energy he had.

"Merlin Harry, I don't understand how exactly you can be moving at the moment, but I'm sure glad that you are!" Draco whispered in disbelief with Ron nodding his agreement from where he stood behind Draco.

While the boys had been settling Harry into his chair, Hermione had brought out the Snake Kit, and handed it over to the Potions Master, who, even as he opened it gave her a questioning look, wondering what exactly was going on, and knowing that she had the answers.

Hermione sighed softly as she took the opened Kit back, "he's blocking as much of the pain as he can, but enough is leaking through at the moment to make the three of us ache. As you found out a few weeks ago, he can and will block an extreme amount of pain from us, but this time it's just not working." She said softly as she pulled out the strongest pain killer in the Kit along with three of the less powerful ones, and handed them out to all those in need.

Harry eagerly drank down the pain potion he was handed without complaint, and waited in silence as it performed it's own brand of magic. When his pain levels lowered enough that he wasn't leaking any more through the link to the others, he opened his eyes and winced when his gaze meet that of Madam Pomfrey, who by the evil glint in her eye, had just figured out that he had been lying to her about how he had been feeling.

Ignoring her in favor of figuring out what was going, he turned to the Dane. "Damean, please tell me what happened? The last thing I remember is breaking through the circle of werewolves to get to Severus, relaxing slightly when they were gone, and then pain." He told the group.

"Well my boy..." Albus tried to cut in, only to be startled into silence by a low growl from the two vampires and Harry's cold gaze.

"I didn't ask you Old Man. From what I could see, you were not even there!" Harry snarled. He waited as Albus sat back in his chair in surprise, and then waited a few minutes more to make sure that he would not be interrupted again. When nothing else was forthcoming from the Headmaster, he looked back over at Damean and nodded his head to continue.

Damean looked over at the others for a moment and then took a deep breath. "I'm going to give you the honest truth, regardless of what the others may or may not want you told. I'm not sure exactly how much you were able to take in from the battle itself, but from what I remember going in, those who where in Knockturn Alley, were severely out numbered, and not just by the Dementors. There were already many Death Eaters in that Alley, and from what information we have been able to gather, it was in retaliation for rescuing Severus and you both from your respective prisons. Tom Riddle has been well aware of the abuse you suffered through every year, and was planning on killing Severus before coming for you. When he received neither opportunity, he went for the public."

Harry dropped his head into his hands and started to rub his temples. The silence stretched on for a few minutes as he tried to figure out what to do next. Finally looking up he kept his eyes steady on the man in front of him. "In your opinion Damean, what will Snake-face do if Severus and I dropped from sight completely?"

Damean searched those green eyes, before he voiced his thoughts, "If the two of you and the Malfoys all disappeared for awhile, he will more then likely try to find you, but won't attack right out. He's going to try to find out what's going on, and see if he can get another spy close to Dumbledore."

"So everyone should remain safe for a little while, or as safe as they can be, while he tries to replace his losses, in other words?" Turning to the others in the room he asked, "Do you agree with this?"

Lucius sat back in his chair and thought about it for a few minutes before slowly nodding his head, Severus also expressed his agreement, and they all watched as Harry went back to thinking.

When Harry finally looked up, it was with a clear case of determination that he stood and faced his siblings. Hermione was the first one to catch on to what he was thinking and started protesting. "No Harry we are not going to be left behind while you go into hiding. You know as well as we do that we would have been targets even without being friends with you. Ron's whole family has stood firmly behind the Headmaster for years, I'm a Muggle-born, and the Malfoys are now traitors." A look of determination that matched Harry's came across her face, and was reflected in Ron and Draco's as well. "Where you go Harry James Potter, we will follow. Do you understand Me!?"

Harry's shoulders sagged in relief, as he started to laugh softly. "I wasn't going to try and stop you this time. I was actually getting ready to argue for you leaving with me." he said ruefully.

"Good. Don't even think that we're going to leave you alone again in this lifetime!" Draco snarled as he pulled Harry into a hug, that quickly turned into a group hug as the others joined them. "Now the only thing left to do is to find someplace safe for all of us."

Harry pulled away from the others, and made sure that his slight wince of pain was well hidden from Madam Pomfrey, "Don't worry, we'll think of something. We always do." he said and then added even softer so that the Headmaster could not hear him, "But not here. We need to talk somewhere so that he can't meddle."

The others nodded their agreement, before Harry turned to face the Headmaster. "Headmaster, I want to thank you for your hospitality, but it's time for us to leave. We'll be back in time for the Welcoming Feast." He said firmly, then turned on his heel and left the room, not giving the man a chance to stop him. The others taking their cue from him followed, and with a quick glance between the adults, they to left the Headmaster sitting alone in his tower, seriously wondering where he had gone wrong.

hpss

Traveling by floo was not Harry's favorite way to go, and never failed to leave him disoriented and shaking, along with sick to the stomach. Knowing that he had to face one of his adopted mothers at the end on the journey didn't help matters either. True to form, even before he could get his feet back under him after leaving the floo, he found himself in a pair of warm arms as Molly Weasley pulled him into a hug. Welcoming the support he returned the hug, before letting go and meeting her scrutinizing glare.

"Harry Dear, are you alright? You had us all so worried." the matriarch of the Weasley Family asked.

"Yes mum, I'm fine. You know Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me leave unless I was."

"Harry James Potter, you know that's not what I meant. How could you keep what that disgusting Muggle did to yourself?!" With each word her voice became louder and fury laced her voice. Fury that quickly turned to puzzlement as Harry backed away from her.

Harry was no longer registering the person behind the voice. After everything else that had happened that day, combined with the dizzying trip through the floo, his mind came up with a different face to go with that fury, just like before with Lucius Malfoy. He once again saw his Uncle reaching for him. Those large hands that caused so much pain, drawing closer. Backing up in the vain hope of getting away, of readying himself to run before more damage could be inflicted, while the hateful word of 'freak, not wanted, and dispose of the waste of flesh' rang in his ears. He took one final step backwards and ran into a wall of warm flesh, and strong arms wrapped around him. Full fledged panic fueled his fight for survival and he tried to wrench himself around in his bid to escape. But those arms just tightened their hold on him and pulled him in closer. After a few minutes of helpless struggling, he finally went limp, and the started to hear the words being whispered in his ear, even as the smell of sandalwood, long associated with protection reached his nose.

"Harry? Harry, come Little One, he's no longer here. You're safe now. Close your eyes and breath deep, and then release. In, out, in out. Good, keep going. No one here will hurt you. You're safe, I will not allow anyone to hurt you like that again."

Soft words of comfort rumbled in his ear in that soft silky voice, banished the panic, although some of his fear remained, and Harry turned in those strong arms, hiding his face into the chest behind him, his hands coming up to clench hands full of the black fabric, and he finally allowed himself to be comforted.

The arms around him tightened for a moment, before loosening and he was gently pulled away from the warmth, forcing him to release the robes from his grasp as he was passed into another set of arms. This time the smell of a pine forest came to him, and because the one he trusted most placed him there, he knew he was safe, and so he allowed himself to be escorted away to another room.

Gidean led Harry into the Living Room and settled himself on the couch, pulling Harry close and started humming just loud enough for the boy to hear, and waited for the trembling to stop and th tears to begin, all the while cursing the red haired woman in his head.

Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, maintained tight control of his own fury, as he tried to deal with Harry's panic. Handing the teen off to his cousin, he waited until both left the room, before placing silencing spells up. Then and only then did he allow his fury to bubble to the surface.

Rounding on Molly, eyes snapping with purple fire and his body tense, he fury finally found voice. "MOLLY WEASLEY! How DARE you raise your voice to him. After everything he has gone through, the ONE person I fully expected to mother him, manages to send him into a flash back moments after arriving. If Gideon and I cannot pull him back out, you will no longer have to worry about the Dark Lord, because I Will PERSONALLY wipe you out of existence. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Shocked silence met this outraged statement and Molly could do nothing more then nod her head. Looking through the doorway to where she could see the shuddering teen, who had wrapped himself tightly around the older man, and her heart broke. She started to go to him, only to have her way blocked by the other stranger in her house. Locking her eyes with his, she started to swell once more in anger, and as she took in a deep breath, the violet eyes she was staring at started to glitter.

No other outward show of Damean's anger manifested, not even in his voice, which was still warm and friendly. "Your anger Madam, at the moment is the reason why you will not pass me, as Harry will sense it. Just like Severus's anger is also the reason he is not with the Young One. Rest assured if his anger was not in the way Severus would be in there instead of my son."

Bill Weasley, who had been visiting his parents along with his brother Charlie sat back and watched his mother's interaction with the two strangers and Snape. He had noticed that the Malfoys arrived and could see some kind of bond between Draco, Ron Hermione and Harry, which was one of the reasons he had held back his two brothers from attacking. A closer Look, after his ex-professor's out burst had also shown him two bonds between Snape and Harry. One active and one broken. He had also taken a better look with his own senses at the man facing down his mother and barely managed to bite back a curse. The sharp gasp that come from Charlie, told him that he had also noticed the same thing he himself had. These two 'men' were not human. As one, the two of them stepped forward, pulled their mother back and stood between the two.

Much to the amusement of Hermione, Ron and the Twins (not to mention the Malfoys) the two of them made identical bows, as Charlie started to speak. "My Lord, we are honored to meet you." he begin, as Bill followed with "Our home we offer for shelter, our table for substance, if needed the Gift of Life is yours for the asking"

Going from Damean to Dane in a heartbeat, the Dane gave them a short bow in return. "Thank you for your welcome. I accept your offer of shelter and substance for myself and mine. The Gift of Life is not needed ever from you or yours, unless in times of great need, as it has already been paid once. And never taken twice."

Bill and Charlie exchanged a glance and then turned to Ron and the Twins with a glare, which caused Damean to laugh. "Oh no, it wasn't them. Young Harry accepted the Blood Price for all of you. As for being your Lord, I can say that I am not. Please call me Damean, my son is Gideon. I am sure you all know the Malfoys and young Harry, and of course Harry's Guardian and my nephew Severus. I already know who all of you are, and any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine." Casting a sly glance at his nephew, he continued, "Now, do any of you have an idea on how to get Tall Dark and Snarky to calm down enough so we can reassure the She-Wolf behind you that her adopted cub is safe?"

A snort of laughter from the other end of the kitchen broke the rest of the tension in the room, while causing Severus to glare at his uncle. Molly finally remembered her manners and had the grace to flush in embarrassment and offered everyone refreshments, while Snape canceled the silencing spell, then took his own seat at the table, close to the Malfoys.

Before tea could be poured, Gidean popped his head through the door, "Sev, The young one has me totally confused, it honestly looks like he is suffering under some kind of pain curse, but there is no one around casting it." he said anxiously.

"SHIT" came from four different sources that almost was loud enough to cover the sound of something hitting the floor in the Living Room, followed by the sound of four chairs being toppled away from the table as Severus, Hermione, Ron and Draco all went running to Harry's side.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey All...

I have received a few reviews asking me if I plan to contiue this story...

The answer is yes. This and all the others are being updated, it's just taking me a little longer then I expected, as I just started a new job.

Please have a little more patience with me. Your reviews have kept me going through the last little while and I can't tell you how much they mean to me.

Luvs ya all.

Vbollman


	13. Chapter 13

A/N ----- If you haven't noticed this chapter has not been Beta'd as of yet. I'm waiting for it, but my Beta ran into RL issues. otherwise this would have been out shortly after Christmas. Just wanted to thank you all for your Patience. I really do appreciate it.

Disclaimer...This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter Twelve

Dudley Dursley sat hunched over and extremely uncomfortable due to his bulk, in the back of the cupboard under the stairs, wondering for the umpteenth time how his cousin managed to live in this small space for 10 years without going insane. Of course he also wondered how the hell he was going to survive his own self imprisonment inside the cupboard, but he really didn't want to think about that at the moment.

As another pain filled screech from his mother pierced the air, he stuffed the grimy blanket he had found in the corner, further into his mouth to stifle his own moans of terror, and at the same time, tried to push down the bile that threatened to come up from the taste/feel/smell that was leftover from his cousins time in the same cupboard.

He didn't know why the wizards in black cloaks and white masks showed up here weeks after Harry was removed from the house, but he did know that what ever brought them was not a good thing for him and his parents.

Another scream cried out, this time a deeper one from his father, and Dudley tried to work his way further into the corner, desperate to remain invisible.

hp

The Dark Lord smiled cruelly at the muggles currently laying huddled on the ground at his feet satisfied that Bellatrix was doing her job properly. He had taken a few minutes to tour the hovel these things called home, and drew another of many lines of similarity between himself and the Brat-Who-Refused-To-Bow-Down. It was amazing on just how alike the two of them were.

Feeling a tug on the mental connection between Potter and himself, he cackled and gave Bellatrix a command to continue with the torture. "Make them scream." he hissed, before following the connection to the other's minds.

Ssso nice of you to join me Harry Potter. Do you like what you see? he hissed in his mind as he surveyed the blood splattered room, making sure that the teen on the other end received a good look.

Wh-What do you want Tom? Harry gasped back through the pain, as he was forced to stare in horror on what use to be the perfect living room his aunt took so much pride in.

Just to give you your birthday present Harry Potter. Nothing more. Voldemort replied, and then broke the connection on his side, knowing that the brat would still be forced to watch until he also managed to break it on his end.

Laughing cruelly, the Darkest Lord to date, raised his own wand towards the female, and hissed the curse to end it all _Avada Kedavra_

hp

_Last time..._

_Before tea could be poured, Gidean popped his head through the door. "Sev, The young one has me totally confused, it honestly looks like he is suffering under some kind of pain curse, but there is no one around casting it." he said anxiously._

"_SHIT!" came from four different sources that was almost loud enough to cover the sound of something hitting the floor in the Living Room, followed by the sound of four chairs being toppled away from the table as Severus, Hermione, Ron and Draco all went running to Harry's side._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Severus grabbed hold of Draco and held him back as Ron and Hermione rushed to Harry's side, and held him tight as he struggled to get to his bond brother.

"Let me go. I need to get to Harry." Draco demanded as he struggled against he older mans grip.

"You can't Draco. Anyone with the Dark Mark can not touch him while he has a vision. It will only cause him more pain." Severus explained calmly, although he too was desperate to get to Harry's side. As the teen in his arms calmed down slightly, Severus motioned to Bill to take him. "Don't let him go." he ordered in a whisper, close to the red heads ear, insuring that Draco would not hear him.

Staying three feet away of the convulsing form of the teen on the ground, Severus ran a practiced eye over Harry judging just how bad the damage may end up being. Summoning the Snake kit to him, he opened it up and starting to pull the potions that they would need to care for Harry after out. Looking over at his uncle, he gave the man a sad look. "You and Gidean are going to need to help hold him down. There's nothing more we can do until he is released from the Vision." he told him

Molly looked at those around Harry on the floor and bit back on a sob, "is there nothing else we can do?" she asked softly, seemingly not hearing Severus.

Severus stood from his spot on the floor and walked towards Molly, and much to the astonishment of those who knew him, (or thought they did) pulled the older woman into his arms. "No, I'm sorry to say there isn't." He repeated quietly to her, as he buried his face in her hair, giving as much comfort as he was having returned. "The others know what they are doing, and have been doing this for a few years now, all that we can do is wait, and let them take care of him." he whispered, as he held on tighter when she continued to cry. Looking over the rest of the room, he found the elder Malfoys leaning on each other, while their son wrapped himself around the eldest Weasley boy. The others in the room taking comfort where they could.

Charlie watched as Ron and Hermione continued to work with the assistance of the two vampires, to keep Harry from hurting himself as he continued to convulse with whatever he was seeing. As all movement stopped, he thought it was over, only to have Ron push the other three away with a shouted command to move. Not knowing what was going on this time, he started to move forward, only to end up with his arms full with one Hermione Granger, as she hid her face in his shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her body, he held her tight, and continued to watch the scene unfold and wondered just what was going to happen next.

Ron knew what was going to happen next. He had seen this happen before. Instead of Harry's body going limp like it would at the end of a vision, all the muscles contracted, pulling him tight. Pushing the others away, he carefully maneuvered his body under Harry's shoulders and held on tight. This was not going to be pretty.

Harry also knew what was coming next, and was trying desperately to close down the mind link between himself and Voldemort. He had learned long ago, that since there was a connection between the two of them, forged by green spell light, he could not block it fully, but he could lock away any information that he needed to keep hidden. Making sure those walls were as strong as he could make them, he gave an instants thought to building another layer around the mental link, but knew it would not work. Instead of wasting time on that extra layer, he turned all his attention on pulling away from the link, knowing that Voldemort had already 'stepped' away from his side.

Watching in horror, as motion caught his attention, he saw a wand raise into his line of vision and point down at his aunt. The next words sent a chill down his spine, and his body arched of the ground, the pain from earlier, nothing to what it was now. Thrashing against the arms and body he could feel holding him, as the pain begin to get unbearable seconds felt like hours, as he felt the curse, course through his own body, but finally he gave sigh of relief as the backwash of the killing curse finally ended. His relief vanished as that one wand once more lifted and pointed at his uncle. When the magical backwash from this one finally faded, Harry was given one more look around the room, just before his world went dark. His last thought, was of his unseen cousin and a prayer was sent out, hoping that Dudley was safe.

----------

In the end it was not only Ron who ended up holding Harry down, much to his relief the two vampires also added their strength to stop Harry's violent thrashings. None of them came out of the ordeal unscathed, Gidean, who had been holding Harry's feet, ended up on the wrong end of those same feet and was kicked in the groan causing every male in the room to wince in sympathy. Damean had been given a black eye, and by the looks of things Ron had his nose broken when Harry slammed his head back. All in all Ron figured it was a good day, considering how bad it had gotten at times in the past.

Looking at the others in the room and still cradling Harry's now still limp form in his arms, he smiled tiredly at his family and friends. "It's over Bill, you can let Draco go." he said softly.

As soon as he felt Bill's arms release him, Draco was across the room, and picking Harry out of Ron's arms, so the red head could stand up. "How often does that happen?" he whispered as he settled Harry down on the sofa, using his lap for the darker teens pillow.

"Not as often anymore. His shields keep out most of the visions." Hermione whispered, Charlie's arms still wrapped around her, not wanting to leave the comfort being offered.

"What exactly was that? I've seen a few of his visions but nothing like that." Severus asked, his voice shaking slightly as he came over with the Snake Kit, and carded his fingers through Harry's hair.

"That started out as a normal vision, only to turn deadly. Most of the time Riddle does not do any of the actual torture or killing himself, other for the Death munchers of course. The emotions behind those torture sessions are usually not that strong so they don't effect Harry all that much. What you saw was Riddle doing the actual killing. Every time he actually casts the Killing Curse and the link between Harry and him is active this is what happens." Ron explained grimly.

"Is there a way to stop this?" Demean asked softly, his eyes flashing a violent purple in his rage.

"Of course." Hermione replied, her own eyes flashing, "Either break the link or Kill one of them." She snapped.

The whole room winced at the venom in her voice, and wisely stopped questioning while Harry was still not responsive. Molly went off to make tea, the bond mates sat as close as they could to Harry and the others sat talking quietly, all of them keeping an eye out for any sign of Harry actually waking up.

Two hours later, Harry showed the first signs of finally waking up. At his slight groan, Severus immediately moved to sit on the floor near Harry's head and stroked his long fingers through soft dark hair. "Come on Harry, you need to open your eyes." dropping his voice to a whisper he continued, "please love, I need you to wake up."

Harry's eyes slowly opened, and a quick, pained, glance around showed him that he was in the midst of his extended family. Closing his eyes once more, he tried to figure out why his head was aching once again, only to see the memory of killer green light and his aunts blood drenched face. Snapping his eyes open once more he focused on the onyx eyes bright with worry, and with a keening cry of despair, rolled of the couch and into Severus lap, tears flowing freely down his face. Several minutes passed before he spoke. "I need the Headmaster Sev." he said quietly.

Nodding his head, he motioned for one of the Weasleys to fire call Albus and continued to sooth the whimpering teen in his lap. "Harry? Do you want to talk about it?"

Shaking his head, Harry refused, "I only want to go through this once." he murmured his breath hitching slightly as tried to only concentrate on those around him, and not on the vision he just witnessed. Burrowing his head into Severus' shoulder he breathed in the comforting scent of numerous potion ingredient that clung to the man no matter what, and silently urged the Headmaster to hurry.

A/N... I know it's short, but I really couldn't see what needs to happen next being in this same chapter... That and I'm sorry for the wait. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Lots of Luv. vbollman


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer. _**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended**_.

Thanks to Periculum for her beta work….

I know this chapter took forever to write….and its short… I'm sorry, but at least it's something, rather than nothing. I'll try not to let the wait go for this long again…

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

Albus sat in his office, once again contemplating the issues surrounding two of his favorite people, with his mind going around in circles as he tried to understand just when his intentions regarding Harry Potter had gone so wrong. A Pensieve stood on his desk, holding copies of his every interaction with the young man, most specifically the ones that dealt with the conversations about Harry's relationship with the Dursleys, and the one of the day Harry had finally had enough and had shown him the results from living under their care. One thing that he now knew for sure was that Harry had tried to tell him numerous times about the Dursleys; Albus had simply never listened, chalking it up to normal problems that teenagers had with their parents and guardians.

The words he had uttered when faced with the angry teen the day Harry had woken up, kept replaying in his mind, making him wince from the unusual harshness, especially after all of Harry's injuries had been presented to him by Madam Pomfrey. Up until that point, he had not truly believed that the Dursleys hated Harry as much as was claimed, and he realized he should have taken the time to sit down and actually discuss with Harry the problems he professed to have with his family, that later had been proven to be true, on more than one occasion. He also knew that he should have done more to insure Harry's and the other students' safety, as well as offer Sanctuary to those most in need and in regard to Harry and his friends, the training that they so desperately needed to combat the growing threat of Voldemort.

During the time Harry had once again been in the care of Madam Pomfrey, he had had a few discussions with young Draco Malfoy, and although he still wasn't sure just how far he could trust the Malfoy family, he knew that he needed to show the other Houses, and most especially Slytherin House, that they could come to him or any other professor with concerns about the war and their safety. He also needed to show them all Respect. Without it, nothing was going to change, not even after the war was won, one way or another.

A small smile graced his face when he thought of the fact that Harry, Ron and Hermione had already started to close the breach and join all the Houses together in unity with young Draco, and that Harry had truly found someone to count on in Severus Snape.

Vowing to himself to do whatever needed to be done to fix the damage he himself had caused, Albus started making a list of things he needed to do to bring all the Houses closer together: His first step in redeeming himself.

The flare of his Floo a few hours later had him looking up to see the face of Arthur Weasley in the fire, and he felt his insides go cold in dread.

"Albus, we need you here at the Burrow. Harry's had a vision and he is asking for you."

"How bad, Arthur?" Albus asked, immediately standing and summoning his traveling cloak to him.

"It's bad, Albus. He witnessed at least two people die by the Killing Curse cast by You-Know-Who himself."

Motioning the other man to step back, Albus spoke with just a hint of command in his voice. "Please step back Arthur, so I can inform Minerva that I'm leaving and then I'll be right through." Writing a quick note to his deputy, and sending it off with Fawkes, Albus took a deep breath before heading for the Floo, silently acknowledging to himself that whatever it was Harry had seen must have been horrific enough that despite their past few encounters, the younger man still had to call him.

The scene that he walked into was curious indeed. Arthur, Lucius, Gideon and Damean stood in one corner in deep discussion. Hermione sat on the sofa curled up against Charlie with Draco and Ron right behind them. Bill and the twins he could clearly hear in the kitchen and Molly and Narcissa, much to his surprise, sat off in another corner discussing something with Ginny.

All of them, however, kept a careful watch on the pair sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. Much to Albus' surprise, Harry sat curled up on Severus' lap, practically hidden from view by the older wizard's robes, the occasional muffled sob giving silent testament to his suffering.

Not sure what to expect from the young man, Albus made his way over to the pair and lowered himself to sit next to them on the floor. "Harry?" He questioned softly.

Harry stilled completely before removing himself from Severus' arms and throwing himself into the welcoming embrace of the older wizard. His tears, which had almost stopped, renewed in the warmth of the older man.

Severus watched with a grim satisfaction, knowing that whatever tragedy had just happened, it was the catalyst needed to start the healing between Albus and Harry. Accepting the cup of tea handed to him by one of the twins; he sat back and waited for Harry to relate what he had just witnessed.

When Albus had judged that Harry was ready to once more calm down, he gently maneuvered the young man so he wasn't hidden from sight of the rest of the group by his own robes. "Harry, my boy, tell me what happened."

Giving a slightly bitter laugh that could have also been called a sob, Harry, needing the warmth of Severus' arms, struggled to sit up and away from the headmaster, and settled down between Severus' outstretched legs, stealing the cup of tea from the older man. "Voldemort in his ~_infinite~_ kindness, decided that he needed to give me a rather large birthday present to make up from all the ones he missed until now." Taking a sip of the bitter tea, and soaking up the comfort offered by Severus, he remained silent for a few minutes until, with a little prodding by Draco via their link, he continued in a strangled whisper. "He, along with Bellatrix, went to Privet Drive, where they tortured and killed my aunt and uncle."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fourteen

Severus had wanted Harry to stay behind while he, Lucius, Gideon, Damean and Albus went to Privet Drive. However, faced with Harry's determination to be there in order to find out what exactly had happened to his cousin, he just couldn't find a reasonable excuse to make him stay behind, especially since Harry had already seen the worst of the damage with the murder of his Aunt and Uncle. He had, once Harry had added his voice to the argument, managed to leave the other three teens behind though.

Once he saw the true damage done to the Dursleys, he wished he had fought harder to make Harry stay behind as well. He also made a mental note to push for a more complete account of what the young man saw in his visions as well. The pure horror of what they found made him question just what else Harry had witnessed in previous visions.

Vernon Dursley was in the worse condition, and Severus knew it was because the fat man just could not have kept his mouth shut. By the condition of the body, it looked like Bella had been given free rein to do as she pleased, once the Dark Lord had been annoyed enough by what the Muggle had said. He could almost list the spells that Bella had used to flay the man alive before starting in by using Muggle means to remove the layers of fat from his body until she reached the vital organs. She had more than likely used a fair bit of magic to keep the man alive in order that he would feel everything she had done to him.

Turning away from the bloody remains, Severus quickly checked over Petunia as well, and found that none of the blood covering her was her own. By the look of her painful grimace, it seemed as she had been exposed only to the Cruciatus curse. Of course, the psychological torture of being forced to watch what became of her husband was another thing entirely. In a way he was glad that she had not been subjected to a greater amount of torture. He may have not liked the woman as a child, but in her own way she had watched over both he and Lily, and when things became bad between himself and his father, she had been there to help with his injuries.

A quick glance at his cousin revealed that they were both thinking the same thing when it came to Vernon. The man had received what he deserved, if not actually in the matter he received it, for what he had done to his nephew. By the satisfied glint in both Lucius' and Damean's eyes, he knew that they also felt the same way, although none of them would say anything out loud with the Headmaster within hearing distance.

When Harry had entered the house he had bypassed the living room altogether. He had seen what had happened in that room once, and was perfectly content to let the others do what they needed to do in order to return it to its former condition. His one concern at this point was to find out where his cousin was and what exactly he was suffering from. Pausing slightly outside of the living room, and being careful to keep his eyes averted, he gently called out to Severus, "Is Dudley in there?" Sighing softly in relief once he received a negative answer, Harry started the search for his cousin upstairs.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Harry quickly checked through each of the rooms, and cast packing charms as he went. He did not want to ever have a reason to return to this house. Having cleared the upstairs rooms, he did the same to the attic and when he didn't find any trace of his cousin, continued on down to the basement, ignoring the faint unease he felt that something just was not right in the house. After all, the whole situation was 'not right'.

It took only minutes to confirm that Dudley was not hiding in the basement, especially when with only a few packing charms, the whole area was bare. Returning to the kitchen, Harry settled into one of the chairs, and conjured up a pot of tea while he went over his options. He knew, even though he had not been around for the past few weeks, that the few childhood friends that Dudley still had were not in the area at the moment; gone with either summer jobs or on holiday with their families that would take them out of reach for the summer. The house, for all intents and purposes, was empty, and the quick glance that Harry had given the yard had left him without a doubt that Dudley had not gone that way. So what exactly was left?

Harry sat silently for a few minutes, a faint feeling that he knew he should recognize and be able to place buzzing about his head, barely aware of the others giving him looks of concern as they moved to clean up the damage around him. As the buzzing in his head became louder he dropped his cup and watched as it shattered; an echo of the many times that he had been yelled at to get to his cupboard ringing in his ears.

Of course, how could he have missed it the first time?

After all, it would make sense that the one place where he had felt safe from the adults in his life would in fact be safe for his cousin as well.

Running to the area it should have been, Harry was barely able to see the faint line of magic hiding it from view, the buzzing from earlier even louder as like called to like. Reaching out to the apparently bare wall, he groped for the handle that he knew should be there, but he couldn't feel it. With a faint growl of annoyance, Harry quickly pulled out one of the daggers he had found in Diagon Alley and made a slight cut in his hand, just enough to draw blood. Sensing the others standing behind him, Harry turned his head slightly. "My cupboard should be here. I didn't notice it when we came in, but this is where it's supposed to be," he explained softly while touching his bloodied hand to the wall.

A bright flash of light made spots appear in his vision as the magic washed over him, revealing the cupboard door. Opening it slowly, Harry had enough sense to keep back so that he would not be hit if Dudley lashed out. He peeked inside. "Dudley?"

A soft whimper of fear was the first response they heard to Harry's soft question, which turned into a question of its own. "H-Harry?"

"Yeah, Dudley, it's me. You can come out now, its safe."

The words had barely left his mouth before Harry found his arms full, as Dudley left the safety he had found in the cupboard in return for the safety of Harry's arms.

"I heard…and they screamed…and it was awful…" were the only words that any of them could make out through the tears. Harry just continued to hold on to Dudley and let him cry, knowing from experience that it was one of the best things that his cousin could do at the moment.

A gentle touch on his shoulder had Harry looking up through his own tears, to see the grave eyes of the Dane. Damean held out a vial of the Dreamless Sleep potion, and indicated that Dudley should take it. Nodding his head, Harry returned his attention to his cousin. "Dudley? Can you take this for me?" He asked softly. "It will help you sleep right now, until we can get you somewhere safe,"

Dudley reached out blindly for the vial, and only because it was Harry offering and knowing that his cousin had indicated once before that he would see Dudley safe, did he drink it without question. He barely had time to make a face at the horrible taste before he found himself slipping into Darkness.

~~OoO~~

It hadn't taken long to finish cleaning the house and removing everything that they could. Albus had sent a quick message to the Ministry informing them of what had happened, and had in turn received a notice from Shacklebolt that the appropriate arrangements would be made, and a cover story leaked to the Muggle press. The only thought that Harry had at that news was that Aunt Marge would go ballistic on hearing that her brother was dead and her nephew was out of her fat reach.

Instead of taking Dudley back to the Burrow, they had all gone immediately to Hogwarts, and Dudley had been given into the care of Madam Pomfrey. He hadn't wanted to leave Dudley on his own, but with a full dose of Dreamless Sleep, he knew that his cousin would be out of it for at the very least a day. So he found himself following listlessly behind the others on the way to the Headmaster's office, wishing that he could have joined Dudley in his dreamless slumber.

Instead of taking the chair offered him, Harry had transfigured the chair Severus had claimed as his own into a larger version (with the man in it) and had curled up practically in Severus' lap, his head almost completely hidden in the dark folds of the older man's robes.

Turning his head slightly, Harry looked up into the sad blue eyes of the Headmaster. "How was Dudley able to hide the cupboard the way he did?" He questioned softly.

Albus sat silently for a moment before answering. "I don't think that he did, _per se_. Harry, tell me, if I remember correctly, Dudley did try to help you to the best of his abilities before Gideon and Draco got to you, correct?"

"Yes, Sir. He brought me the vial that Gideon had given me, and tried to at least bring me something to drink, despite what his father wanted."

"And you had protected him from the Dementor the summer before the start of your fifth year as well?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I see. I think what happened is what we call sympathetic magic. The magic within the Wards recognized that he had tried to save you, so it in turn tried to save him," Albus explained as simply as he could, knowing that Harry would probably not be up to a long explanation.

Thinking fast, Harry nodded his head. "I see. So the Wards based on my mother's love, either directed Dudley to the cupboard and then hid the cupboard, or Dudley went into it on his own, and the magic just covered it up?"

"That is in essence correct. I'm sure that it also stopped any sound he made from being heard, and who knows exactly what else. But yes, it seems that is correct. The Wards themselves, according to the devices I have monitoring them, never fell. They just shifted their focus and because they only covered a small section of the house, no alarm went off when Voldemort entered the house."

Harry nodded his head in understanding, and once more hid his face in Severus' robes. It would explain why he had 'forgotten' that the cupboard was there, as well as why he had only been able to open with his own blood. The Wards didn't need to actually have a blood sacrifice this time. His own blood had been spilt many times, and he was sure the wood in the cupboard had soaked enough of it up to lay any number of different protections around his cousin whey they were needed.

Allowing his eyes to drift shut, Harry ignored the continuing conversation that was going on around him and willed himself to sleep, secure in the knowledge that nothing would get him while he was in Severus' arms.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N ~whinces~ I know I know! this is really really late. Truth be told, I had all but the last page or so written before Christmas, but my muse decided it needed Christmas holidays and well...and to that email mix ups, the differences between Windows and Linux and yet get an even longer wait.

For those of you who actually read a/n's and my other stories as well, I am half way done the next chapter of 'Hopes Refuge.' (I blame my muse for the delay!)

Many many thanks to my Beta Periculum.

And finally the legal stuff, 'cuz just saying that it's not mine and I don't make money off it once during the story is not enough!

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter Fifteen

Harry woke from a fitful slumber shortly after Severus had carried him to the Gryffindor dorms and placed him into bed. Checking the time, he growled softly before flipping the covers back and climbing to his feet. 'Now if I know Severus, and I do, he would have had Dobby set up all my new things just like he would have during the school year,' Harry muttered himself, before reaching for his glasses. Sure enough, there at the foot of his bed was the new trunk Draco had helped pick out.

Grabbing a set of clean clothes and his toiletries, Harry took a quick shower and dressed, stopping only long enough to grab the journals that he had received in Diagon Alley and a box of writing implements and, thanks to a few shortcuts that he had learned over the years, found himself in the infirmary a few minutes later.

Glancing around the near-empty wing, Harry grabbed one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs and carried it over to where Dudley was resting, before transfiguring it into a much more comfortable recliner. A flick of his wand at an empty glass vial had a floating table top for him to work at as well. Settling in, he brought out the first of the two journals, which he just _knew_ he had to read first, and making sure quill and parchment were close by, started to read.

A few hours later Madam Pomfrey peeked into her ward and smiled at the sight. Dudley, it seemed, had shifted in his sleep, turning towards his cousin, who was curled up in a chair sound asleep, an old book in one hand, and his other just touching the bed Dudley slept in, both with deep green comforters tucked in around them.

And deep within the shadows guarding them both was an alert Severus Snape.

~~OoO~~

Dudley woke slowly, trying to figure out what was different. It took a few minutes for his mind to connect all the small things together to form the bigger picture, and he snapped fully awake and sat straight up as he started to search frantically around for something familiar. A figure standing at the end of the bed brought him up short, despite the slight whimper of fear that wanted to leave his throat.

Gideon saw the moment the young Dursley woke up and knew that, if he didn't put a stop to it, he would wake the occupants of the chair. Stepping forward to stand at the end of the bed, he used a tendril of his magic to force the young man to stay silent and look at him. When he had the complete (and silent) attention of the teen, he silently indicated that Dudley look to his left.

Dudley, following the pointed finger, looked over to his left and saw his cousin sound asleep. He took a deep shaking breath and, allowing himself to relax, lay back down in the bed. A second look to make sure that his cousin was at least visibly alright almost had him gasping in shock. Harry's 'chair' seemed to be a man, a somewhat harsh looking man at that. Looking at the other man, he silently asked just what the hell was going on.

Sighing softly, Gideon beckoned Dudley out of the bed and pushed him towards the bathroom. Knowing he couldn't cast a silencing spell without waking either Severus or Harry with his use of magic, he figured the best thing he could do was remove the other teen from the room and leave a note telling the pair where they could be found. When Dudley came back out of the bathroom after a quick shower, Gideon led him out of the room and towards the Great Hall for breakfast, thinking despite everything else, Dudley needed to eat.

Once they had left the room and taken a few turns, Dudley finally gave up on the silence. He wanted answers! "Who are you? Where are we? What happened? Is Harry alright, and who was that with him?"

Gideon chuckled softly, interrupting the list of questions, and receiving a glare for his trouble. "I cannot answer any of your questions if you don't give me the chance, young man."

Dudley looked down at his feet and gave a mumbled apology, before looking back up. "Well?" he demanded.

"Very well then, I will answer a few of your questions. First, my name is Gideon, and you are at Hogwarts. Harry is fine and the man with him is my cousin Severus. It seems shortly after coming down to sit with you, Harry fell asleep and suffered another nightmare. Severus was fortunately here to wake and comfort him, and considering the time, it was no wonder that they both fell asleep again," Gideon told him, avoiding the subject of what else had happened.

Dudley mulled that over for a few minutes, knowing that it wasn't the whole story. Considering that he and his cousin didn't have the best of relationships, he knew that he probably didn't deserve the rest of the explanation. Taking a deep breath, Dudley looked back up at Gideon. "What happened?" he asked softly, dreading the answer.

Placing a comforting hand on Dudley's shoulder, Gideon gently steered him into the Great Hall. "I think any more explanations should wait until after you've eaten, and everyone is here."

Nodding his head, Dudley allowed himself be distracted by the room he just entered. 'How the hell did they do that, and can I get Harry to create a room like this?' he thought, gazing up at the ceiling.

~~OoO~~

Severus woke to the smell of his Harry wrapped around him and the comfortable weight of the same young man in his arms. Breathing in deeply, he tried to figure out what exactly had woken him, before his eyes snapped open and he glanced at the empty bed. A note placed so he could read it without moving reassured him that everything was fine, and he relaxed once more, enjoying the feel of having Harry to himself.

Half an hour later, the slight hesitation in Harry's breathing informed him that the young man was waking and he braced himself for the full body stretch he knew was coming. True to form, Harry stretched out like a cat, Severus' arms the only thing keeping him in the chair, before settling back down again.

"Sev?" he questioned in a sleep roughened voice.

"You had a nightmare, once you fell back to sleep again," Severus answered the silently asked question softly.

"H'm, don't 'member," Harry slurred slightly, snuggling into the potion master's chest.

Snorting softly in amusement, Severus shifted both of them into a more comfortable position. "It didn't get a chance to really start. I woke you before it got bad."

Harry mumbled his thanks before slipping back into a light doze. Warm and comfortable as he was, he couldn't convince his body to let him go back to sleep. Something niggling at the back of his mind wouldn't allow for a deeper slumber. 'Still though, this is nice,' he allowed the thought to continue, breathing in deeply of Severus' scent. "Aunt Petunia would never allow me to doze like this once she knew I was awake.'

It took a few minutes before that thought percolated through the rest of his mind, and his whole body tensed. His early 'birthday' present, deadly green light, the cupboard under the stairs, and Dudley all came back in flashes. Wait! Dudley! Eyes snapping open, Harry started to struggle to sit up, only to be hushed.

Severus knew the moment the day before came back to Harry. He had hoped that it would take a little longer, but was actually surprised that it took as long as it did. Tightening his arms around Harry, he started to gently hush the young man, offering his comfort once again. "Sh, Harry, it's alright. Your cousin is fine. He's having breakfast with the others right now. The Weasleys and Malfoys will be here at lunch, and the bunch of you can show Dudley around Hogwarts. Sh, little one, it's alright," he kept repeating, until Harry finally relaxed back into his arms.

"Sorry 'bout that," Harry mumbled.

"Truthfully, I've been expecting it," Severus replied.

"Dudley is truly alright?"

"I assume so. Gideon left a note saying that he was taking your cousin down for breakfast with the others. I don't think they'll say much until you are there as well."

"Not sure if I should be thankful or not about that," Harry snorted before sitting up once again, when his stomach let it be known that it wanted food. He snorted again, this time in laughter when he heard Severus' stomach rumble in agreement. "As long as the others understand that we need to eat before we need to talk."

"I don't think that will be too much of a problem," Madam Pomfrey stated from behind them.

Severus and Harry both tensed in surprise before relaxing once more. "Infernal woman," Severus grouched under his breath, barely loud enough for Harry to hear, before standing with Harry still cradled in his arms. Gently placing Harry on his feet, he nudged the younger man towards the door to the bathroom. "You first, Mr. Potter."

"Why thank you, Professor Snape, you're too kind," Harry answered, shutting the door on the mild hex sent his way for the sarcasm.

Turning back to the medi witch, Severus hid back the wince at the look in her eye. "Good morning, Poppy."

"Good morning, Severus. How are you this morning?"

"As well as can be expected."

"I see, and Harry?"

"Calm at the moment, I managed to stop a minor panic attack earlier."

Poppy nodded her head in understanding, looking at the Potions Master with an arched brow, ignoring the glare the man sent her in return. Poppy finally smiled and dropped her eyes briefly before looking back up. "I don't think I've seen him sleep that deeply without a potion. For that matter, I know you've never slept so well either."

Severus' eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he glanced towards the bathroom door, to hide his reaction. "He's not even 17 yet," he said faintly.

"Physically," Poppy answered, walking over and placing a hand on the Severus' shoulder. "Mentally he is far older."

"Nothing is going on, Poppy."

"I never thought there was. Just don't push him away when it does start to happen," Poppy counseled. "Now you should get cleaned up as well. I've already had the house elves bring up a clean set of clothing and placed it in the bathroom for the two of you, and have sent word that you are both awake and will join the others in the Great Hall shortly. Hurry up, Dear," she stated briskly and left the room, barely keeping the grin off her face for getting in the last word.

Sighing, Severus entered the bathroom, allowing the steam to enfold him with the soft scent of Harry's soap, not sure if he should be thankful or not for the enclosed shower stalls.

~~OoO~~

Entering the Great Hall, Harry had to stifle a laugh at the sight of his cousin trying to eat while trying to _not_ stare at his surroundings. It seemed having Flitwick sitting at the table on a floating chair was slowing Dudley down somewhat. Of course that could be true of Hagrid sitting on the opposite end of the table as well.

"Ah, good morning, my boys," Dumbledore said, gathering the attention of everyone at the table.

"Good morning, Albus." "Good morning, Headmaster." They answered at the same time.

Harry nodded a greeting to the other professors and sent a wave towards Hagrid. "Headmaster, I know you like everyone to sit together during the holidays, but I was wondering if you would mind setting up another table for my cousin and me so we can talk?"

"Of course not, Harry. I should have thought about that myself."

With a wave of his hand, a smaller, second table was set up on the other side of the room, giving the boys some privacy.

Nodding his head in thanks to the Headmaster, Harry gestured to his cousin to leave his plate where it was and move to the other table. Sending Damean, Gideon and Severus a reassuring smile, Harry turned and followed him.

"How are you doing this morning?" Harry questioned, as they settled at the empty table.

"Um, I don't... I mean I think...um." Dudley tried as breakfast shimmered in front of them.

Harry smiled sadly and reached over to lay a hand on Dudley's arm. "You're confused, upset, numb, trying to understand what happened yesterday, and what's going to happen know. Never mind the fact that you have now found yourself surrounded by everything you have been taught is freakish and unnatural. Am I right?"

Dudley nodded his head silently and picked at the food on his plate. "I don't think that you or your magic is freaky, Harry. After you saved me from those dementy whatsits, I spent a lot of time thinking about what they showed me, and what I could do to make it better."

"A lifetime of habit is hard to break in little more than a year."

Dudley nodded once more, and went back to playing with his food. It took five minutes and twice as many false starts before he managed to ask the questions that were most on his mind, but had been unable to ask. "Who was that, Harry, and why did he kill mum and dad?"

Harry pushed his plate away and refreshed both tea cups before smiling grimly at his cousin. "That was the Dark Lord Voldemort; the man who killed my parents and is determined to kill everything he hates, while enslaving everything else. And in all honestly, Dud, the only real answer I can give you as to why he does anything he does is because he's a sick fucking bastard.

"But you have an idea on why he came after them, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He wanted to give me a birthday present and figured this was the best way to do it, or at least that's what he told me anyway."

"I think you're going to have to explain a whole lot more about what's going on, Harry."

Giving Dudley a considering look, Harry wondered just how much information Dudley would be able to process before he came out of shock, and how many more times he was going to have to explain everything later. He had been trying to keep the information as general as possible so far, but there was no way to really tell how much Dudley was really processing. Giving his cousin a nod, he tapped the table once with his finger, indicating to the waiting elves that they were done, and stood. "Come on, Dud, I'll give you a tour of the school, while I explain how things work around here."

They could worry about what was going to happen next at a later date. Right now he needed to show Dudley the wonders of Hogwarts Castle. Maybe when the others arrived he could introduce Dudley to Quidditch as well.


End file.
